Midwifery Initiative: Telangana is a Pioneer State in India

by Muralikrishnan Chinnadurai, Journalist and HJN Ambassador

Images of a maternity ward in the Telengana State of India
Image courtesy of Harsha Vadlamani for Unicef

Telangana is a pioneer state in implementing the midwifery initiative training program and recruiting midwives to ensure maternal and child welfare. The Government of India is currently working to implement this training program in various states.

The Midwifery initiative was launched on 31st October 2017 by the Government of Telangana as a Public and Private Partnership Scheme.The Department of Health and Family Welfare, the Government of Telangana, the Fernandes Foundation and UNICEF are developing professional maternity workers in Telangana as public and private contributors.

The 18-month training is provided to selected nurses through a syllabus recommended by the International Confederation of Midwives. The program continues to train coaches. So far 400 people have been trained as maternity workers in Telangana.

Dr Evita Fernandez, President of the Fernandez Foundation and an eminent obstetrician, said:

“Midwives are those who support pregnant women physically and emotionally and help them to give birth naturally. With their help, it is possible to pregnant mothers give birth naturally in a natural way, often avoiding surgical deliveries (caesarian).”

When asked about the training program, Family Welfare Commissioner Smt.Vakatta Karuna I.A.S said, “It has really given a very good hand, making Telangana the third place in India in terms of Maternal Mortality ratio. The Fernandes Foundation is doing a very good job of coming in and bringing International Midwives to training. Without the co-operation of the National Health Mission, the Union Minister of Health Family Welfare and the Ministry, and the UNICEF, we would not have been able to implement this pioneering project.”