Pakistan, May 5 -- In a statement marking the "International Day of the Midwife," United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) lamented that Pakistan had only 2.2 midwives per 10,000 people, nearly half the global average, and faces a shortage of almost 82,000. It also accounts for about four per cent of global maternal deaths, pointing to a basic service gap in a country where pregnancy and childbirth remain among the most dangerous experiences for poor and rural women.

The 2019 Pakistan Maternal Mortality Survey placed the maternal mortality ratio at 186 deaths per 100,000 live births. The same survey showed wide provincial variation, emphasising rural women were at higher risk than urban women.

The infant and newborn figures are equally st...