Midwifery in the wealthy Middle East

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Toks Benson
 

Sidra Medicine, Qatar

: J Womens Health, Issues Care

Abstract

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In Arabic, a trained midwife is known as Qabila, but in the old days, Daya was older, wise, and assisted in deliveries. Their wealth of experience was their charm. That said, midwives are not prevalent in modern-day maternity care in wealthy Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, to name a few. A midwife is viewed as an obstetric assistant rather than an autonomous practitioner as the training suggests. This might be due in part that the maternity system has been structured similarly to the American system which is Physician-led and insurance-based. However, the scanty midwifery education has little or no standardized curricula or real training infrastructure. In my experience, a midwife, though a rare phenomenon in the wealthy Middle Eastern maternity sphere is gaining the attention of local women, and those who have experienced holistic care, are pleasantly surprised and highly recommend it. The gentile attitude and patient demeanor appeal greatly to women on these shores as such midwifery care can be promoted for the management of lowrisk maternity patients.

Biography

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Toks Benson is a Clinical Midwife Leader at Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar