The entity has joined the global call to strengthen healthcare systems with more midwifery professionals, emphasizing that the Canary Islands have the lowest rate in Europe in this field.
According to the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), there is a global deficit of one million midwives, meaning millions of people lack safe and respectful care. Of this global figure, 300 professionals are specifically needed for the islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and La Graciosa.
“"Having these midwives would mean opting for more comprehensive and personalized specialized care in sexual, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and adolescent health, in addition to responding with greater guarantees to new realities, in the face of more complex births, and would allow for safe and respectful home monitoring of pregnancies and puerperiums."
The incorporation of more midwives would strengthen the healthcare system of the Canary Islands, providing reference health agents in peri/menopause, addressing the growing demand for climacteric care. Furthermore, it would contribute to perinatal grief care, the protection of sexual and reproductive rights, contraception, fertility treatments, care after pregnancy terminations, and the improvement of population screening programs for cervical cancer.
The statement emphasizes that it is not only about increasing the number of midwives but also about enhancing their role as key figures in healthcare policy management and decision-making within multidisciplinary teams.
