LONDON, April 1 (UPI) -- A global shortage of midwives means one in three women worldwide gives birth without the benefit of expert help, a report by a U.K. charity says.
Save the Children says more than 1 million babies could be saved annually if the shortage of trained midwives, estimated at 350,000, was eliminated, the BBC reported Friday.
Launching a campaign for more midwives, the charity said having expert help during delivery could save both mothers and babies from easily preventable birth complications.
"It doesn't have to be complicated: Someone who knows how to dry a baby properly and rub its back to help it breathe can make the difference between life and death," said Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children. "No child is born to die."
Women in the poorest countries suffered the most from lack of expert help at delivery, the charity said, and were much more likely to lose their baby or be at risk of death themselves during childbirth.
