Midwifery 2030: a woman’s pathway to health.

This article explores a vision for safe, quality and respectful maternity care – Midwifery 2030: a woman’s pathway to health.

This pathway considers four stages of a woman’s reproductive life:

(1) pre-pregnancy,

(2) pregnancy,

(3) labour and birth, and

(4) postnatal, and describes the care that women and adolescents need at each stage.

Underpinning these four stages are ten foundations, which describe the systems, services, workforce and information that need to be in place in order to turn the Pathway from a vision into a reality.  The foundations are:

  • Foundation 1: All women of reproductive age, including adolescents, have access to midwifery care when needed.
  • Foundation 2: Governments provide and are held accountable for a supportive policy environment.
  • Foundation 3: Governments and health systems provide and are held accountable for a fully enabled (work) environment.
  • Foundation 4: Data collection and analysis are fully embedded in service delivery and development.
  • Foundation 5: Midwifery care is prioritised in national health budgets; all women are given universal financial protection.
  • Foundation 6: Midwifery care is delivered in collaborative practice involving health care professionals (HCPs).
  • Foundation 7: First-level midwifery care close to the woman and her family, with seamless transfer to next-level care.
  • Foundation 8: The midwifery workforce is supported through quality education, regulation and effective human and other resource management.
  • Foundation 9: All health care professionals provide and are enabled for delivering respectful quality care.
  • Foundation 10: Professional associations provide leadership to their members to facilitate quality care provision.

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