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 Statistics show childbirth and pregnancy-related complications are
the leading causes of death among women in Myanmar, mainly due to
delays in reaching emergency care.
According to the most recent census, 282 women die per 100,000
births in the country, equivalent to about eight deaths every day,
double the regional average and far above the mortality ratio of 20
deaths per 100,000 in neighboring Thailand or six per 100,000 in
Singapore.
Nay Hnin Lwin, 19, is among 200 midwifery students currently
studying at the Central Midwifery School in Yangon.
She said her parents, who live in a rural area, still do not
recognize the importance of midwives, relying instead on traditional
birth attendants.
"If there is an emergency situation, they cannot save lives. Mothers
are losing their lives because of them. I'm proud to be a midwife to
save them from these situations," she told Reuters Television.
At the end of the two-year course, Nay Hnin Lwin and other trainee
midwives will be deployed to remote clinics with poor infrastructure
and bare-bones medical facilities.
"The role of midwives is very important because two thirds of our
country is in rural areas. They are not only working on healthcare,
but also documenting and compiling data for the country," said Dashi
Hkwan Nu, head teacher at the Central Midwifery School.
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Myanmar's healthcare -- particularly in far-flung areas -- is
plagued by ramshackle services, with hospitals lacking basic
equipment because the military junta diverted funds away from
services benefiting the general population to the army.
The government of Myanmar's first de-facto civilian leader in about
half a century, Aung San Suu Kyi, has launched a series of social
reforms such as national health and education plans, and the
introduction of a bus transport system in Yangon.
A year after sweeping to power, however, Suu Kyi acknowledged
earlier this week public frustration with the slow pace of reforms
and development.
The midwives' training program is being supported by the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which says Myanmar must tackle
maternal mortality in order to raise living standards.
"Maternal mortality needs to come down if Myanmar wants to graduate
from the least developed into a middle-income country," said Hla Hla
Aye, assistant representative to the Fund.
(Reporting by Aye Win Myint; Writing by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing
by Helen Popper)
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