Turkey expands 'One Midwife per Pregnant Woman' program to thousands of expectant mothers

Turkey's Ministry of Health is scaling the "Her Gebeye Bir Ebe" (One Midwife per Pregnant Woman) initiative, assigning coordinated midwives to monitor pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. In Samsun, 40 coordinators contacted 5,690 expectant mothers between June 2025 and May 2026, including 2,094 high‑risk cases, providing phone guidance, home visits, and referrals to health centers. The programme also promotes the "Annelik Yolculuğu" mobile app that supplies week‑by‑week pregnancy information.

In Siirt, coordinator midwife Hayat Erten tracks high‑risk pregnancies daily, reaching each woman the same day a risk is recorded. Erten conducts up to four calls per woman before delivery, conducts home visits for first‑time mothers, and offers advice on nutrition, physical activity, birth preparation, breastfeeding and infant care. Both efforts aim to ensure continuous, personalized support for pregnant women and improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.