While global maternal and newborn mortality rates have declined, challenges still remain in many low- and middle-income countries where quality health care resources are limited. Pakistan has the sixth largest population in the world and the highest maternal mortality ratio in South Asia. In a 2018 report entitled: A comparison of maternal and newborn health services costs in Sindh Pakistan, a situational analysis revealed that only 65% of pregnant women in Pakistan receive route antenatal care (ANC) and less than 50% of deliveries occur without the assistance of a skilled health care provider. Additionally, less than 50% of women seek either postpartum and/or newborn care. Additional challenges also exist in terms of poor and ill-equipped infrastructure as Basic Health Units (BHU), Rural Health Centers (RHC) and Taluka Hospitals (THQ) are not functional largely due to limited human resource capacities. Pakistan is not producing enough medical practitioners to address this gap in healthcare. Often times, a single nurse will be responsible for administering care to over 3000 patients. The health of women is critical to a country’s social, economic and political development. The survival of women in childbirth reflects a country’s commitment to ensuring the maternal, newborn and child health care services (MNCH) are consistently available to all women. IDRF in collaboration with PNFWH will be addressing the gap in MNCH through the selection and training of 25-female midwife practitioners which will be stationed in the Tharparkar district.
