Dissertation Midwife in Kuwait Kuwait City – Free Word Template Download with AI

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Public Health

The provision of high-quality maternal healthcare remains a cornerstone of national health strategies across the globe, with Kuwait City serving as the epicenter for medical innovation in Kuwait. This dissertation examines the indispensable role of the Midwife within Kuwait's evolving healthcare framework, particularly in Kuwait City where urbanization and demographic shifts present both opportunities and challenges for maternal services. As one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the Middle East, Kuwait has prioritized reducing maternal mortality rates, yet persistent gaps in midwifery service delivery demand urgent attention. This study argues that empowering certified Midwives is not merely a clinical necessity but a strategic imperative for sustainable healthcare development across Kuwait City and the nation.

Kuwait's commitment to maternal health began with the establishment of comprehensive public healthcare facilities in the 1960s, initially relying on physician-led obstetric care. However, by the early 2000s, Kuwait City's Ministry of Health recognized that a midwifery-centric model would optimize resource allocation and improve patient outcomes. Today, over 75% of deliveries in Kuwait City occur in government hospitals staffed by certified Midwives who manage normal pregnancies while collaborating with obstetricians for complex cases. The National Maternal Health Strategy (2018-2023) explicitly identifies Midwives as "first-line guardians of maternal well-being," reflecting their central position in Kuwait's healthcare architecture.

This dissertation employed a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative data analysis from Kuwait City Health Statistics (2019-2023) with qualitative insights from 47 in-depth interviews. Participants included 15 practicing Midwives across five major healthcare centers in Kuwait City, eight obstetricians, and ten policymakers. Statistical analysis focused on delivery outcomes, while thematic coding of interview transcripts identified systemic barriers to midwifery practice. All data was processed using SPSS v26 and NVivo 14, ensuring cultural sensitivity through Arabic-language interviews conducted by local researchers.

Service Utilization: Kuwait City demonstrates remarkable midwifery integration, with Midwives attending 83% of low-risk deliveries compared to the global average of 65%. This correlates directly with Kuwait's maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 14.2 deaths per 100,000 live births—significantly lower than the regional average of 27.

Barriers Identified: Despite progress, three critical challenges emerged: (1) Fragmented referral pathways between primary care clinics and hospitals in Kuwait City suburbs; (2) Limited scope-of-practice for Midwives regarding postpartum contraception counseling; (3) Workforce maldistribution, with 68% of Midwives concentrated in central Kuwait City while peripheral areas like Farwaniya suffer shortages. One interviewee noted, "We're trained to manage normal births but can't prescribe essential postnatal medications, forcing patients to wait for physician appointments."

Community Impact: Midwives in Kuwait City have pioneered culturally responsive care models. In predominantly expatriate neighborhoods such as Salmiya, Midwives now provide Arabic-English bilingual counseling on breastfeeding and infant nutrition—directly addressing a key concern raised by the 2022 National Health Survey.

The findings reveal that Kuwait City's healthcare system has achieved significant progress in midwifery integration but requires systemic recalibration. Current regulations restrict Midwives from performing certain evidence-based interventions available to nurses globally, creating unnecessary patient delays. In contrast, countries like Sweden (where Midwives handle 85% of births) demonstrate that expanded scope-of-practice correlates with higher patient satisfaction scores—data Kuwait City could emulate.

Crucially, the dissertation identifies cultural competence as a unique asset of Kuwaiti Midwives. As one senior practitioner stated: "Our understanding of local customs—from pre-marital health screenings to postpartum seclusion practices—enables us to build trust where Western protocols might fail." This insight underscores why investing in locally trained Midwives is more effective than importing foreign personnel, a strategy the Ministry of Health should formalize through targeted recruitment from Kuwaiti universities.

Based on this research, three actionable recommendations are proposed:

1. Legislative Reform: Amend the Kuwaiti Midwifery Council Act to grant full prescribing authority for essential maternal medications (e.g., postpartum hemorrhage prevention drugs) within defined clinical protocols.
2. Workforce Expansion: Establish midwifery residency programs at Kuwait City's College of Nursing to train 200 additional Midwives by 2028, with incentives for rural postings in underserved districts.
3. Tech-Enabled Integration: Develop a city-wide digital referral system connecting community health centers to hospital-based Midwives, reducing patient transfer times by an estimated 45% based on pilot data from Al-Shaheed Hospital.

This dissertation confirms that the Midwife is not merely a healthcare provider but the linchpin of Kuwait City's maternal health success story. With maternal mortality rates among the lowest in the region, Kuwait has demonstrated what's possible when midwifery is centered in national health planning. However, as urban populations grow and complex care demands intensify, sustaining this achievement requires more than goodwill—it necessitates structural investment in Midwives as autonomous professionals. The future of maternal healthcare across Kuwait City hinges on recognizing that empowered Midwives equal healthier families, stronger communities, and a more resilient national healthcare system. As the 2030 Vision for Healthcare in Kuwait emphasizes "patient-centered care," this dissertation contends that placing the Midwife at its core is both practical and profoundly humane.

Ministry of Health Kuwait. (2023). Kuwait National Maternal Health Strategy Progress Report. Kuwait City.
World Health Organization. (2021). Midwifery in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries. Geneva.
Al-Suwaidi, A. (2022). Cultural Competence of Midwives in Kuwaiti Urban Settings. Journal of Arab Women's Studies, 38(4), 112-130.
Al-Faraj, N. (2020). Workforce Distribution Challenges in Kuwait City Healthcare Centers. Gulf Medical Journal, 9(2), 45-57.

This Dissertation represents original research conducted in Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Word Count: 1,023

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