DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Mr. Chetan Singh Jauramajra today said that in order to promote normal deliveries instead of deliveries through Caesarean section, Punjab Health Department has set the ball rolling for setting up a new Midwifery Training Institute in Patiala. The Minister said that this institute is being set up as per the Indian government's "Guidelines on Midwifery Services in India" to prioritize investment in a dedicated cadre of professional midwives called Nurse Practitioner in Midwifery (NPM). He said that this is one of the 16 Training institutes across India where training would be provided to Midwife Educators who, in turn, would develop the cadre of NPM. Punjab is third state after Maharashtra and UP to Start this National Midwifery Training Institute in government sector. The Minister said that Midwifery led care is a paradigm shift which can address many issues that our state faces in terms of MCH services. Punjab MMR has also increased in recent times due to covid-19 pandemic when all resources were diverted toward covid. MMR in Punjab currently stands at 114 as per the latest SRS data released in March 2022. Bringing midwifery practices to the centre stage will not only help to reduce the MMR but also improve the quality of care around childbirth and decongest higher levels of facilities. Disclosing more about this new initiative Health and Family Welfare Minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra stated that one National Midwifery Training Institute (NMTI) has been commissioned at the Mata Kaushalya School of Nursing at Patiala The institute is selected as one of the NMTIs because of its state-of-art training infrastructure, access to a functional Obstetric department at its parent hospital, attached high load clinical practice site, and its willingness to initiate a new course. It is envisioned that the National Midwifery Training Institute at Patiala will serve as model teaching institute and pedagogic resource centre. (editor@dailyworld.in)