National Midwife Day in Indonesia Date in the current year: June 24, 2024

A midwife is a healthcare professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth. Midwifery is one of the world’s oldest professions; there is evidence that it was a recognized occupation in ancient Egypt. It is a historically female profession, and the word “midwife” is gendered in many languages.

In the modern world, midwifes are educated and licensed healthcare professionals who provide supervision, care, advice and support to women during pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period, as well as take care of newborns and infants. In addition to routine care, which includes preventative measures and detection of complications, they are qualified to carry out emergency assistance if there are no other medical professionals available.

Midwives also play an important role in educating the general public about sexual and reproductive health and childcare, as well as help young couples prepare for parenthood. They also help develop and implement national health programs such as family planning.

In Indonesia, where a large percentage of population lives in remote rural areas and home deliveries are extremely common, the role of midwives in maternal and infant healthcare is especially important because in many situations, they are the only healthcare professionals available to pregnant women. One of the biggest milestones in the development of midwifery in Indonesia was the adoption of the Midwifery Act 2019, which gave autonomy to the profession and determined the framework for midwifery education.

National Midwife Day is celebrated in Indonesia to commemorate the First Midwives Conference in Jakarta and the establishment of the Indonesian Midwives Association (Ikatan Bidan Indonesia, IBI) in 1951. The association was established by a group of senior midwives from Jakarta with a goal of connecting midwifes from different corners of the country and fostering unity and sisterhood in the professional community.

Shortly after its establishment, the IBI joined the Indonesian Women’s Congress (Kongres Wanita Indonesia, KOWANI), a federation of Indonesian women’s organizations. Three years later, it became a member of the International Confederation of Midwives, an international organizations that supports, represents and works to strengthen national midwifery organizations around the globe.

As of 2019, the IBI had more than 200 branches and over 330,000 members in all provinces of Indonesia. Its has four primary objectives:

1. Fostering unity and sisterhood among Indonesian midwives and women in general.
2. Giving its members an opportunity to improve their professional knowledge and skills, particularly in the areas of family welfare and maternal and child health.
3. Assisting the government in improving public health.
4. Raising awareness of the contribution of midwives to reducing maternal and infant mortality and improving their status in society.

Members of the IBI celebrate National Midwife Day on June 24 every year. Festive events and activities organized by the association includes seminars and webinars, social media campaigns, and more.