Govt to encourage women to have normal delivery

Punjab becomes the third state to establish Midwifery Training Institute

To promote normal deliveries instead of deliveries through the Caesarean section, Punjab Health Department has set the ball rolling for setting up a new Midwifery Training Institute in Patiala. After Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, Punjab is the third state to establish a National Midwifery Training Institute in the public sector.

The institute is being established in accordance with the Indian government’s ‘Guidelines on Midwifery Services in India’, to prioritise investment in a dedicated cadre of professional midwives known as Nurse Practitioners in Midwifery (NPM). It is one of 16 training institutes across India that will provide training to Midwife Educators, who will then develop the cadre of NPM.

Midwifery-led care is a paradigm shift that has the potential to alleviate many challenges that Punjab faces in terms of MCH services. MMR in Punjab has also surged recently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the SRS data, issued in March 2022, the MMR in Punjab stands at 114. Bringing midwifery practices to the centre stage will help reduce the MMR and improve the quality of care around childbirth and decongest higher levels of facilities.

A National Midwifery Training Institute (NMTI) has been established in Patiala’s Mata Kaushalya School of Nursing. The institute was selected as an NMTI because of its state-of-theart training facilities, proximity to a functioning Obstetrics department at its parent hospital, attached high-load clinical practice site, and willingness to introduce new courses.

It is envisioned that the NMTI-Patiala will serve as a model teaching institute and pedagogic resource centre for midwifery training for several states. Three International Midwifery Educators from New Zealand, England, and Kenya have also been brought in by the State Government in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund to train the first batch of 30 for an 18-month course at this nursing school. It is worth noting that the first batch has already begun as of September 21, 2022.

Director of Health Services (Family Welfare) Dr Ravinderpal Kaur stated that this initiative will lead to a compassionate and respectful birth experience for pregnant women in government health facilities. Under this program a Midwifery led care unit (MCLU) will be established near the labour room of a health facility and the first such unit in the state will come up at Mata Kaushalaya Hospital Patiala. NPM will provide skilled, maternal, reproductive and newborn child-related health care services respectfully to accomplish the sustainable development goals for maternal and new-born.