The midwife and her functions by level of care.

The role the midwives play in women's healthcare in Chile demonstrates appropriate utilization of human resources according to their capacity to provide services. Historically, the Chilean midwife came into being more than 160 years ago, exclusively as a birth attendant. The midwives' functions have evolved, particularly during the last few decades, following the demographic and epidemiological evolution of the Chilean population and the new paradigm of healthcare addressed to woman throughout her life cycle, not only during pregnancy and childbirth. At the present time, the midwife is the professional that provides the great majority of gynecological and obstetrics care at the primary healthcare level, while also attending most of the deliveries in the public health services. The close link with physicians working as a team, and the emotional ties of the midwife as a provider with the woman as a client, is emphasized as an additional advantage of the presence of the midwife as a key person in women's healthcare.