Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke recently in BULAWAYO
ZIMBABWE has intensified efforts to strengthen its midwifery workforce as the country moves to address health worker shortages and improve maternal and newborn care.
This comes as Zimbabwe held commemorations of the 2026 International Day of the Midwife at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) on Friday under the global theme; “One Million More Midwives”, a campaign that seeks to highlight the shortage of midwives needed to provide quality maternal and reproductive health services by 2035.
In a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Minister Sleiman Kwidini, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the Government recognised the central role played by midwives in safeguarding maternal and newborn health.
“We are committed to increasing our investment in training, fair compensation and retention of midwives, as outlined in our Health Workforce Strategy and Investment Compact,” he said.
“This commitment is a deliberate, cost-effective strategy to achieve our goal of ending preventable maternal deaths and ensuring safer motherhood for every woman and newborn in Zimbabwe.”
He said the Government was scaling up healthcare worker training and improving conditions of service as part of broader reforms to strengthen the public health sector.
Dr Mombeshora said this year’s global theme was a call to action, reminding the nation that millions of mothers and newborns still lack access to the skilled, compassionate care that only a midwife can provide.
“Through the Health Workforce Strategy 2023-2030, we have committed a massive investment to transform healthcare delivery in our nation and to double our health workforce by 2030,” said the minister.
“We are aggressively pushing to scale up our annual training output to 7 000 graduates and expand midwifery training so that more women and children can access quality care
He added that the Government was also focusing on retention by addressing remuneration concerns, upgrading working conditions and modernising healthcare systems through digital technologies.
Midwives are frontline health workers critical to safe motherhood and newborn health. According to UNFPA, well-supported midwives can provide up to 90 percent of essential sexual and reproductive health and rights services.
Zimbabwe has not been spared from challenges affecting the health workforce, including migration of skilled professionals, staff shortages and difficult working conditions, particularly in rural areas.
Zimbabwe Confederation of Midwives president Mrs Farai Marenga said midwives continued to provide critical services despite difficult working environments and staff shortages.
“Every single day, the midwives of Zimbabwe go over and beyond the call of duty in the face of shortages and limited resources,” she said.
“They step into the gap with unmatched skill, empathy and courage. They do not just deliver babies, but they defend the human rights of women, counsel families and safeguard the future of our country. However, dedication alone cannot survive.
“The reality of the brain drain is visible in our understaffed wards, where one midwife often does the work of three or even more.”
She welcomed the Government’s Health Workforce Strategy and the commitment to create 32 000 new public health sector jobs, saying it reflected growing recognition of the importance of investing in frontline healthcare workers.
UNFPA country representative Ms Miranda Tabifor said investment in midwives remained central to achieving global maternal health targets and improving reproductive health services.
“The UNFPA Midwifery Programme Strategy 2017-2030 underscores the critical need for investing in midwives, including strengthening their skills and competencies,” she said.
“Through programmes such as the Health Resilience Fund and the Maternal and Newborn Fund, UNFPA continues to support the Ministry of Health and Child Care with pre-service and in-service midwifery training to ensure the availability of skilled birth attendants. We will continue investing in this area.”
The Health Resilience Fund is funded by the Governments of Britain, Ireland and Sweden.
Swedish Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Per Lindgard said investment in midwives was essential for building resilient health systems and improving maternal and reproductive healthcare services.
“In Zimbabwe, midwives continue to serve with professionalism, resilience and commitment, often under difficult conditions and with limited resources. Across hospitals, clinics and rural health facilities, they remain on the frontline of care and are often the first, and sometimes the only, skilled health professionals available to women and families,” he said.
Peter Tanyanyiwa