International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration of women’s empowerment, their achievements, and a call to global action for women’s social, economic, cultural, and political upliftment. On IWD 2026, I would like to advocate for professional women whose role is to bring new life into this world and care for women at times when they are the most vulnerable.
The significance of these professional women is acknowledged by various global organisations like the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). These professional women are none other than ‘MIDWIVES’, who provide compassionate care to women, newborns, and families throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Over the past decade, midwives have been increasingly recognised for improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes and for contributing to global agendas.
Midwives are actively involved in priority world health agendas, such as educating women and communities on important topics like nutrition, the use of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene management. Beyond counselling and educating communities, they are also involved in improving maternal and child immunisations, educating women to prevent communicable diseases such as malaria, tetanus, and tuberculosis, providing care to mothers suffering from postpartum depression, and promoting safe motherhood to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths.
Midwives respond to women’s psycho-emotional needs and build a relationship of trust and empathy through guidance, support, and encouragement throughout pregnancy and the postnatal period. They also play their role as advocates and policy leaders by developing national and international guidelines, strategic plans, and policies for vulnerable and underprivileged communities. They further contribute by building global partnerships to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Midwives have been catalysts in making significant changes in healthcare around the world.
Midwives with quality education and training could play a major role in improving our country’s health indicators
However, the situation in Pakistan is different. I would like to advocate for midwives working tirelessly in Pakistan who are not recognised for the critical roles they play in their societies. To explore this issue further, I researched factors that influence midwifery services as part of my master’s thesis research (Master of Science in Health Policy and Management, 2020, from the Aga Khan University) and found that various factors compromise the services provided by midwives. One of the critical factors is the lack of quality education provided to midwives in Pakistan.
I am currently enrolled in the Global Health doctoral program at McMaster University, and my doctoral research builds upon the findings of my master’s research work. I aim to strengthen the quality of midwifery education in Pakistan. According to the World Health Organization, well-trained and well-educated midwives have the potential to reduce 80% of maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths.
In Pakistan, where maternal and neonatal death rates are substantially higher, midwives have the capacity to improve these rates. However, to achieve this aim, there is a need to strengthen the quality of training and education provided to midwives so that they can provide quality services to their communities. I will be exploring factors that affect the quality of midwifery education in Pakistan and potential solutions to address these factors.
With the support of international and national organisations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Midwifery Association of Pakistan (MAP), and the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC), Pakistan launched an undergraduate midwifery programme, the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery (BSMW). Its objective is to strengthen the quality of midwifery education and to add 1,500 skilled midwifery professionals to the country’s health workforce. My doctoral research will examine whether we have been successful in providing quality education to these professional women through the introduction of this new undergraduate programme.
Midwives with quality education and training could play a major role in improving our country’s health indicators. On this International Women’s Day 2026, I stand for midwives and the essential role they play in saving the lives of mothers and children in our country. Your services and efforts can save generations today and tomorrow.