Professional competition amidst intractable maternal mortality: Midwifery in rural Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic

Low-income countries with intransigent maternal mortality rates often follow WHO guidelines that prioritize access to skilled, or professionalized, prenatal and birthing care. Yet the impact of these initiatives in areas still suffering high maternal mortality is opaque. Despite heavy and long investments, the professionalization of midwifery in Pakistan is incomplete, and declines in maternal mortality have plateaued. Traditional midwives have lost status, but they continue to see clients and have influence in their rural communities. We conducted a rapid ethnography among traditional midwives (Dais) and trained Lady Health Workers (LHWs) in two communities of Attock, Pakistan from May to July of 2020. Our findings underscore the importance of long-term presence and trust to maternal care, especially in conditions of resource scarcity or fear (e.g., fear of COVID). We provide evidence of overt disparagement of Dais by LHWs; (2) illustration of the conflicts between gender norms and biomedical priorities of hospitalized births; and (3) exacerbated fear of hospitals during COVID, which served to highlight the advantages of Dai care. Professionalization programs for midwifery must include structures and training to ensure collaborative communications across the country's midwives. Failure to respect the rational decisions of traditional midwives and their patients in circumstances of scarcity, high stress, and isolation only ignores the material and cultural conditions of these vulnerable communities.