9,000 Midwives to Be Trained in Egypt by 2028 to Reduce Cesarean Rates
The programme aims to help reduce caesarean birth rates, which reached 79% in the 2025 family survey.
The Ministry of Health plans to train 9,000 midwives by the end of 2028 as part of efforts to reduce Egypt’s high rate of caesarean births and strengthen maternal and newborn care.
Deputy Minister of Health for Population and Family Development Abla El-Alfi said a study supported by the United Nations Population Fund identified the national need for around 9,000 midwives. The plan includes establishing a health institute in every governorate and equipping 27 laboratories for midwifery and neonatal resuscitation training, with equipment already delivered to six centres.
The programme comes as caesarean births continue to rise. According to the 2025 family survey, they accounted for 79% of births, compared with 72% in 2021.
The ministry intends to expand the role of midwives across primary healthcare, covering pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care and the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, while also supporting family planning. Around 97% of births currently take place inside health facilities.
Training facilities are being developed in cooperation with UNICEF and UNFPA, while experts from the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Midwives and the International Confederation of Midwives are involved in exchanging expertise, training staff and preparing supervisors.
Work is also nearing completion on executive regulations governing the midwifery profession, which will define responsibilities, rights and the role of midwives within hospitals to support regulated and safe practice.
