Reading this UNFPA article from 2009 about birth in Laos, I was shocked to see that only 86 midwives were to be found in the whole country.

A later 2012 article shows that, with the inclusion of the first 2 cohorts of midwives trained in decades, the number is around 300.   In training midwives, the government has made a commitment to improving maternal health. Progress is being made but much more needs to be done.

Here’s some points from the articles:

• Women in rural areas give birth at home to avoid the 3-4 day trek to a hospital or because the rainy season makes travel impossible.
• Health centers are understaffed and community health workers lack midwifery skills
•  Laos has the highest rates of maternal death in Southeast Asia
• 18-20 per cent of all Lao births are attended by health personnel
• Average day: two families lose a mother and nearly 20 babies are stillborn
• Each week: 100 infants die many due to insufficient neonatal care
• 2 per cent of Lao GPD is spent on health
• A “free” visit to a Lao clinic/hospital can cost a family up to one month’s salary in expenses for transportation, accommodations, food and medicine.