It is the 5th of May again, a day in which Midwives around the world celebrate the International Day of a Midwife abbreviated as IDM. This year, the day is celebrated under the theme ‘Together again: from evidence to reality’.  It is through this theme that midwives want to acknowledge the evidence which is supporting this noble profession of midwifery, and the everlasting need to turn the evidence into improved respect, autonomy and working conditions for midwives and improved health outcomes for women and families.

According to global estimates, there are approximately 810 maternal deaths every day, one stillbirth every 16 seconds and at least 2.4 million newborn deaths each year. This is in addition to at least almost one in five women giving birth without an assistance of a skilled health provider.  Additionally, it is estimated that 218 million women globally have unmet needs for modern contraception and 10 million unintended pregnancies occur each year among 15–19-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about devastating effects and therefore the response to and recovery from the pandemic must prioritize meeting the sexual reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and adolescent health (SRMNAH) needs of women, newborns, children, adolescents, and families. In Namibia, the 2022 MoHSS Report on a confidential enquiry into maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths show that 57% of deaths may have been prevented if good maternity care had been provided. To this effect, MOHSS in collaboration with UN partners (WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF) have implemented several interventions and initiatives to curb high maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Namibia. 

Now more than ever, midwives are known to be the essential providers of primary health care who play a major role not only primary care level but also at other levels of health care systems. Regardless of whether you are a millionaire, billionaire or trillionaire or just a domestic worker, at some point you or your family members will need the services of midwives. Skilled midwives can provide you with midwifery expert support that is not available from other health professionals. In addition to rendering individualised and respectful maternity care services, midwives contribute to broader health goals such as addressing sexual and reproductive rights, promoting self-care interventions and empowering women and adolescent girls. As evidenced by the 2021 State of the Midwifery report, a fully educated and licensed midwife who is supported by teams of inter and multi-disciplinary healthcare teams in an enabling environment can deliver about 90% of essential sexual reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and adolescent health. 

It is thus integral for governments, health leadership, stakeholders, partners, friends of midwives, women, families, and people everywhere to stand alongside and support midwives in their efforts to maintain professional autonomy and decision-making authority. During the 2023 IDM celebrations, the Namibian midwives will use the opportunity and the platform to share their stories and key learnings from their impactful advocacy initiatives as individual and team-lived experiences. This celebration’s opportunity will be proof of first-hand evidence of the investment in midwifery in Namibia and the impact it has been towards the health of Namibian women and the nation at large. We thus invite you and challenge you to promote while celebrating your favourite midwife by tagging them using the hashtags   #IDM2023#NamibianMidwives #IMANA#FavouriteMidwife#EvidenceToReality.

*Tekla Shiindi-Mbidi  and Annaloice Penduka are midwife educators at IUM and board members for the Independent Midwives Association of Namibia. Their views do not purport to represent the opinion of their employer or the midwifery association.