SOHBATPUR, Balochistan – When the catastrophic floods of 2022 submerged District Sohbatpur, Hakim Zadi saw her world dissolve into water. Thousands were displaced, means of production were wiped out, and the health infrastructure lay in ruins. Nothing was left but the open sky, and for the expectant mothers of Balochistan, the situation was dire. Health services were entirely compromised, forcing critical deliveries to be referred to the neighboring Sindh province because the local district no longer had the resources to sustain life.
Hakim was a trained Community Midwife (CMW), but without a facility or supplies, she was a healer without tools. To bridge this desperate gap, the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) Program established a pre-fabricated birthing station at Hakim’s quarters, equipped with the essential resources required for a labor room. It was a modest structure, but it changed everything for her Union Council of Adam Pur and the surrounding areas.
In the two years since the floods, Hakim has become a pillar of resilience, successfully performing more than 200 normal deliveries and providing antenatal care to over 400 women. Her reach extends beyond the walls of her station.
If there is a woman who cannot come to my birthing station I visit her at her home with clean delivery kits I perform the delivery at her own place with safety and dignity. My communities have a strong trust on me. Being a community midwife is not just a blessing for its also a blessing for my whole community. I feel proud when I provide quality services to the women of are who do not have access to the health facilities.
This dedication has fostered a deep sense of trust within the community, who now prefer her professional care over traditional birth attendants.
The resilience shown by midwives like Hakim is now the foundation for a systemic transformation across Balochistan. UNFAP has supported hundreds of midwives in various districts across Balochistan with trainings and deployment at health facilities, after the extensive training, a birthing station is established for them to provide antenatal, delivery and post natal care to mothers and newborns. UNFPA has carried out these initiatives in Balochistan with the support from Government of Australia (DFAT) and Government of Netherlands.
For Hakim, this evolution is personal. She has proudly enrolled her own daughter in the Midwifery School in Naseerabad, where she will train to become a future midwife under these elevated standards. Together, they represent a generational shift in healthcare—a mother and daughter dedicated to ensuring that no family is left incomplete. Through the combination of local courage and national academic reform, UNFPA is helping to ensure that the mothers of Pakistan are protected by a legacy of skilled, compassionate care.
UNFPA is also working hand-in-hand with the Government of Pakistan and the Ministry of Health to professionalize the midwifery sector. A landmark achievement in 2024 was the establishment of the country’s first-ever 4-year Bachelor of Midwifery (BSM) degree program. This initiative aims to train a new generation of skilled professionals in accordance with the international standards set by the International Confederation of Midwives, ensuring that evidence-based care is available to every woman, regardless of her geography.
