The Historical Development of the Midwifery Profession in Bangladesh

Sexual and reproductive health and rights have been identified as the core areas of practice, theory and research for the midwifery profession. The midwifery profession, as defined by the International Confederation of Midwives Global Standards, is new in Bangladesh. This paper aims to give an overview of the historical process that has taken place in the past decades to develop the midwifery profession in Bangladesh. The professional development of midwives is the result of many years of collaboration and relationship building among stakeholders such as the government, non-government organizations, academia, professional associations, United Nations agencies, and donors. All are working toward achieving the common goal of preventing/ reducing maternal and child mortality through education, the development of supportive laws, policies and guidelines, and the deployment of midwives. Lessons learnt from the Bangladesh experience can provide useful guidance for other countries in Asia that are currently establishing midwifery as a profession that aims to provide safe and high quality sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn care.