While countries that have a strong midwifery workforce have already recognised the perks of collaborative care, clinicians like Dr Triveni have now begun to acknowledge and appreciate midwives in India. On the institutional front, Dr Triveni Jennu, MS in Obstetrics Surgery and Gynaecology says that midwifery is meant to support doctors. She insists that it is a relief to gynaecologists and obstetricians as it helps them concentrate on complicated pregnancies.
Dr Triveni first heard about the concept of midwifery in 2020 when the midwifery-led unit was started at the Area Hospital in Gajwel. Two clinically trained midwives were posted at the hospital to train other nurses.
She works closely with midwives on high-risk pregnancies that need collaborative care. For the rest of uncomplicated cases, midwives work closely with the mothers to help them have a positive birthing experience. She observes the excellent work that midwives are doing and how this is making mothers happy and empowered. She is convinced that midwives are best placed to work with mothers with low risks in their pregnancies. Women are finally getting the respectable care that they deserve. She says, “I wish I had birthed my children with the support of a midwife.”
She believes that midwives are extremely essential to India’s healthcare system and appeals to the government to train midwives and post them at all hospitals across the country. She specifically wants all the periphery centers to have a robust midwifery workforce so that all low-risk pregnant women living in rural areas can have access to a midwife.
Dr Triveni recounts a case where a normal pregnancy led to the mother needing a cesarean. In the remote area of Gajwel, early in the morning, she was the only one on duty and the midwife present at that time helped her take the stress and burden off by working in perfect harmony with her. A healthy baby was born, and the mother was happy that she had a good birth experience despite the last-minute, unexpected change.
If there is a high-risk case and a normal case of pregnancy at the same time, the obstetrician can devote time to the high-risk mother. In doing so, midwives and doctors share the responsibility, and the mother is benefitted. Not just Dr Triveni but also the institution she works with is very supportive of the idea of collaborative care. There is cooperation and obedience from both sides. Obstetricians and gynaecologists at the Area Hospital in Gajwel recognise midwives as equals.
