“To a midwife, what is more important than making sure that each woman and newborn has access to the best possible care before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth? And to a woman who is pregnant or giving birth, is there a better partnership than one with a skilled midwife? This is something that every woman must have access to.
- Countries must continue to increase investments in the education of midwives and growing the midwifery workforce. It is the only way to ensure that there are enough qualified midwives to care for all women and newborns.
- Currently only 22% of countries have enough midwives to provide the needed care. Investing in midwifery education could yield a 16-fold return on investment in terms of lives saved and costs of caesarean sections avoided.
- Women and newborns of the world need midwives now and in the future. Every year, approximately 289,000 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. And every year, more than 2.6 million babies are stillborn. Most of these deaths could be prevented.
- Nearly all newborn and maternal deaths (98% and 99% respectively) occur in developing countries where pregnant women and newborn babies lack access to health care services – before, during, and after delivery.”
International Confederation of Midwives 2016
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maternal matters 
