Consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Seema Shyam Bhairi has said that while doctors diagnosed and treated diseases, midwives and nurses are the true healers of patients through their compassionate care, counselling and emotional support.

Inaugurating the International Day of the Midwife at KLE Society’s Institute of Nursing Sciences, Hubballi, under the theme, One Million More Midwives, on Thursday, Dr. Bhairi said that behind every safe birth, every mother’s confidence and every newborn’s first cry, there is the silent courage and therapeutic touch of a midwife.

Recalling Florence Nightingale, she said that a midwife is not just a healthcare provider but also a protector of life, dignity, hope and humanity.

Senior consultant anaesthesiologist and president of IMA Ladies Wing, Hubballi, Shobha A. Mudaraddi said that the true identity and reputation of a hospital is built not by its infrastructure but by the dedication, discipline and compassionate service of its nurses.

She encouraged students to become professionals who touched lives not only with knowledge and skill but also with empathy and humanity.

Advanced critical care practitioner from the U.K. Deepak Bagi emphasised that that skilled midwives are powerful leaders capable of transforming global maternal healthcare through clinical excellence, education, research and leadership.

Presiding over the function, principal Sanjay M. Peerapur said that healthcare world did not just require more midwives but midwives empowered with exceptional knowledge, skill, confidence and quality.

Asha Bhatakhande, Shruthi Bulbule and others were present.