Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur drew attention to the fact that normal birth should be preferred if there is no medical necessity. Defining midwifery as the assurance of normal birth, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that people who will give birth normally will go to a specialist physician only for control purposes, and midwifery will maintain its place among the favorite professions.
Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur drew attention to the importance of the midwifery profession.
Stating that health professions in Turkey are experiencing a rapid development process, Prof. Dr. Sur stated that on the one hand, the work carried out to make the old health professions suitable for the 21st century and to complete the process of new health professions continues intensively.
"Midwifery is the oldest health profession in history"
Stating that midwifery is considered to be the oldest health profession in history, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur said, "Since the first human being, birth was taking place without anyone's help while the generation continued with the human offspring like other species that reproduced by birth. Over time, as knowledge about the risks of childbirth and ways to cope with them developed, midwifery became a skill. Later, with the professionalization of this work, it turned into a profession. The essence of the practices of the midwifery profession is the follow-up and evaluation of pregnant women, the realization of normal delivery, the monitoring, evaluation and support of the health of the puerperium and the baby."
Underlining that in the last 30 years of the 20th century, it has become quite common for births to be performed by cesarean section, Prof. Sur stated that factors such as the widespread use of sterile delivery rooms with operating room conditions and the increase in the number of gynecologists and obstetricians, as well as developing health and medical technologies, have increased the preference for cesarean section.
"Unless there is a medical necessity, normal birth should be preferred"
Stating that the World Health Organization emphasizes the importance of normal birth among the various benefits of normal birth, especially in terms of the mother and baby's bonding with each other and strengthening the baby's immune system, Prof. Sur said, "In these respects, there is no substitute for normal birth. If there is no medical necessity, normal birth should be preferred."
Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur stated that many high-level people, especially Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have recently shown interest in this issue, and that it is aimed to support normal birth with a new social mobilization in Turkey.
Occupancy rate of midwifery departments in universities: 0
Stating that midwifery has very different practices from obstetric nursing, Prof. Dr. Haydar Sur concluded his words as follows: "Midwifery is the profession that guarantees normal birth in the country. People who will give birth normally will go to a specialist physician only for control purposes. The midwifery profession will develop again with the leverage of these developments and will maintain its place among the favorite professions. In recent years, interest in midwifery departments of our universities has increased a lot and quotas have been filled 100%."