Lesotho expands male midwife workforce to curb deaths

Lesotho is expanding its skilled birth attendant workforce by recruiting male midwives, with Sehloho Ntlhane among about 300 in the country. This push aims to reduce maternal deaths in a context where mortality remains high and midwifery has long been viewed as female-only. Sehloho travels three hours to reach Mpharane Health Centre and helps ease women’s fear during prenatal visits, signaling a cultural shift toward accepting male midwives in clinics. The government aims to halve the maternal death ratio within five years and to reach remote villages by bolstering staffing, improving monitoring, and reducing delays in care. Although government data on male midwives by gender aren’t collected, international guidance from WHO and UNICEF underpins efforts to broaden the workforce and challenge traditional gender norms.