17 Investing in Sustainable structured Midwifery Mentorship, a critical strategy to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Humanitarian Settings: Lessons from the Rohyinga Response

Speakers:- Elestina Yvonne Phuka, Kindness Ngoh & Shompa Shohid Toku

Facilitator:- Bernice Gyapong & Sekar Putri Kirana

Abstract:- Background: Midwifery is an emerging profession in Bangladesh, characterized by a workforce of early-career graduates with limited post-qualification experience. Within the Cox’s Bazar Rohingya humanitarian response, maternal and newborn health services are predominantly delivered by these newly qualified midwives. Despite their efforts, the region faces persistently high mortality rates, with an estimated three maternal and over 50 newborn deaths occurring monthly. This underscores an urgent need for structured mentorship, continuous clinical supervision, and targeted capacity strengthening.Goal: To strengthen clinical competencies and standardize evidence-based maternal and newborn care by implementing a sustainable midwifery mentorship program across all Sexual and Reproductive Health Working Group (SRHWG) partner facilities.Methods: As the SRH lead agency, UNFPA coordinates over 42 partners through the SRHWG. A structured mentorship model—integrating bedside mentoring, clinical audits, and competency-based coaching—was initially piloted in UNFPA-supported facilities. Facilitated by international mentors and national coordinators, the program is now being scaled across all SRHWG partners. To ensure sustainability, the initiative utilizes a trainer-of-trainers (ToT) model, training at least one midwife and one clinical coordinator from each partner facility to cascade the program within their own organizations. Results & Conclusions: Initial outcomes demonstrate improved adherence to evidence-based protocols and strengthened supportive supervision mechanisms. By embedding mentorship within the SRHWG coordination structure, this system-level approach creates a scalable framework to institutionalize quality midwifery services. This initiative is critical for building sustainable clinical capacity and accelerating reductions in maternal and newborn mortality within complex humanitarian settings.

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