National Midwife Day is celebrated every June 24, which this year will fall on Thursday (24/6/2022). National Midwife Day itself is closely related to the founding of the Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI). Quoted from the official IBI website, June 24 was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of IBI as a national midwifery union in 1951. At that time, a number of senior midwives in Jakarta founded IBI on a mission to promote unity and brotherhood among midwives.
Because its membership consists of midwives based in Jakarta, the first IBI conference was also held in Jakarta. The IBI members at that time were all members of the Indonesian Women’s Congress (KOWANI). In line with this, IBI also supports various programs run by KOWANI, especially in the mission to improve the status of Indonesian women. Three years after the first conference, on October 15, 1945, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia established IBI as a legal entity organization. IBI then joined the international midwives union or the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) in 1954. Then, in 1985, based on Law (UU) No. 8 of 1985, IBI became a 9NGO (Society Organization) in Indonesia. In the same year, IBI held a congress in Medan which was attended by ICM members from various countries. At the age of 30, IBI has successfully opened more than 200 branches in a number of provinces in Indonesia.
Its membership also increased rapidly, from previously only hundreds, to more than 16,000 midwives. In 2022, IBI noted that its current membership has reached 338,864 midwives. Since its inception until now, IBI has several objectives, namely: To promote unity and brotherhood among midwives and women in general, in order to strengthen national unity. Fostering the knowledge and skills of members in the midwifery profession, particularly in Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services and family welfare. Assist the government in national development, especially in improving the health status of the community. Improving the dignity and position of midwives in society. This year, National Midwife Day and IBI are 70 years old. The previous year in 2022, National Midwife Day raised the theme “It’s Time for Midwives and Women to Unite, Move Together to Improve Maternal and Child Health Towards an Advanced Indonesia.” The National Midwife’s Day was commemorated with a series of activities, ranging from seminars, social services, visits by IBI elders, sowing flowers to the graves of deceased elders, to enlivening campaigns on social media.
The role of midwives in society According to ICM, a midwife is a person who has completed midwifery education and is recognized by the state and has obtained qualifications and is granted permission to practice midwifery in that country. Midwifery is a combination of a number of disciplines, ranging from nursing, medicine, health, social, cultural, to behavioral sciences. Based on the Practical Concept of Midwifery and Ethics in Midwifery Practice, midwives generally have roles as implementers, managers, educators, and researchers.
In carrying out its role, midwives must be able to: provide supervision, care, and advice for women during pregnancy, assist in childbirth and the postpartum period, lead labor on their own responsibility and care for newborns, carry out preventive measures by detecting abnormal conditions in the mother and baby, seek medical assistance and carry out emergency assistance in the absence of other medical personnel. Of course, the midwife’s job is not as narrow as helping to give birth and caring for a newborn baby.
Midwives also play a role in educating the public regarding premarital education, developing basic health services in their working areas, and guiding the community in health programs implemented nationally, such as family planning. In commemoration of National Midwife Day 2022, Minister of Health (Menkes) Nila Moelok said that midwives have an important role in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in the community. “Midwives are expected to increase professionalism so that they are able to provide services according to professional standards and authority, besides strengthening the existence of primary health services through optimizing midwifery services,” explained the Minister of Health as quoted from the official website of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes).
source : https://tirto.id/hari-bidan-nasional-24-juni-2022-dan-sejarah-berdirinya-ibi-gg7f
