The 5th of May is celebrated annually as International Day of the Midwife. This year, the day was celebrated under the theme “Midwives – a Critical Climate Solution.”
There is a common misconception that midwives are nurses, but this is not the case. A midwife is a person (male or female) who has completed a midwifery education program, usually two or four years in Jamaica, and has obtained the necessary qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed as a midwife, to use the title of midwife, and to demonstrate competence in the practice of midwifery (International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), 2021).
Although midwives provide services in both primary and secondary health care facilities, they are independent practitioners and, depending on the jurisdiction, can be found primarily in the community.
Healthcare workers are often identified by their uniforms: midwives wear a white tunic, hat with a burgundy stripe and a burgundy badge, senior midwives wear a burgundy belt, and men wear a white bush jacket and black trousers with a burgundy badge.
Despite a global shortage of around one million midwives, midwives continue to provide an incredible service to the health system. It is worth noting that midwives are both first responders to climate disasters and providers of safe, environmentally sustainable services. In keeping with this year’s theme for International Day of the Midwife, midwives are undoubtedly a key solution to future climate challenges.
This year, midwives are being celebrated around the world not only for the vital role they play in the health of mothers, newborns and children, but also for the incredibly important contribution they are making to tackling the challenges of climate change. While their role in climate change may not be obvious, midwives are providing solutions to climate change through their practice and principles.
Climate change generally disproportionately impacts low socio-economic and marginalized communities, making pregnant women, newborns, and parenting families more vulnerable to climate shocks. As a result, midwives around the world embrace social justice and inclusivity, advocating for the elimination of health disparities and ensuring that women have access to quality, respectful maternal and child care, regardless of geographic location or social status.
Additionally, midwives provide community and home-based maternal and child health services that consume less energy and emit less carbon compared to hospital-based births and services. These efforts not only reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, but also empower women to make informed choices about their reproductive options, ultimately contributing to human health, sustainable health systems and a healthy environment.
Jamaica encourages breastfeeding as the best source of nutrition for babies and the healthiest option for both mother and baby. Mothers are encouraged to exclusively breastfeed their babies for up to six months, and breast milk is an important part of a baby’s diet until they are one or two years old. Midwives play a key role in promoting environmentally friendly breastfeeding. Breastfeeding reduces the demand for formula production (note that formula also has a role), which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. In turn, midwives contribute to improving maternal and child health while also reducing environmental degradation.
Additionally, midwives are well equipped to educate communities about the inextricable link between health and the environment. Through their interactions with mothers, parenting families and communities, midwives can foster environmental awareness, raise consciousness and promote behavioral change on sustainable lifestyles, climate resilience and ways to protect natural resources and mitigate climate change.
Finally, we commend midwives for their incredible contribution to health systems locally, regionally and internationally and their role in climate change. I implore technocrats in the health sector to give midwives the recognition and respect they deserve for their work and value. Similarly, we need to create an enabling environment for midwives to play their role as environmental stewards. As we aspire for a healthy and sustainable future for our country, it is time to embrace midwifery as a key climate change agent.
Dr. Adela Campbell is an Associate Professor and Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Technology, Jamaica.
