Forty new midwives graduated from the Hirat Institute of Health Sciences, ready to provide improved care to mothers and infants in their home communities, on April 21.  Midwives are essential to improving healthcare in Afghanistan, as the country currently has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world.  About every 30 minutes a mother dies giving birth in Afghanistan, and 77 percent of these deaths are due to factors that could be avoided with proper health care.  The neonatal mortality rate is also high in Afghanistan, with 60 newborns out of every 1,000 dying in the first month of life.  The 40 newly minted midwives will do their part to ensure that expecting mothers receive necessary prenatal care and assistance during delivery.  

Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne, the U.S. Embassy Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs, and Dr. Suraya Dalil, the Acting Minister of Public Health, joined Hirat Governor Yusuf Nuristani, regional Afghan health officials, and members of the international donor community in congratulating the graduates. “It takes two years of intense training to provide these women with the knowledge and skills needed to become midwives, and I thank them for committing to the important role of serving mothers and newborns in Afghanistan,” Ambassador Wayne said in his remarks.  “By setting this high standard for accreditation, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has shown commitment to the goal of professional care for Afghanistan’s women and children.  We will continue our support to Afghan families in this important area.”

This U.S.-funded Health Services Support Program is collaborating with the ministry to support ten midwifery schools throughout Afghanistan and increase the number of skilled midwives in an effort to reduce infant and maternal mortality.  With multi-donor support and high-level commitment from the MoPH, the number of midwives in Afghanistan has increased from 467 in 2002 to 2,200 in 2009.  USAID has helped train more than 1,400 midwives and developed the midwifery education program utilized by 34 midwifery schools in 32 provinces.