|PIC1|The government hopes to recruit an extra 4,000 midwives over the next three years, with returning midwives to be offered an incentive package worth up to 3,000 pounds, Health Secretary Alan Johnson said on Monday.

Since 2001, births in Britain have soared 14 percent, outpacing a smaller 4.5 percent rise in midwife numbers.

Provided by the Department of Health and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) the "golden hello" for midwives who have left the profession includes free training, childcare support and travel costs as well as a grant of up to 1,500 pounds.

"The number of births in England is rising," said Johnson. "To keep pace with this increase and to improve the quality of care, we'll recruit an additional 1,000 midwives on our wards and in our communities by 2009, rising to around 4,000 by 2012.

"Many of these extra midwives will be new to the profession, but there are also former midwives whose expertise could be brought back to the NHS given the right support."

Medical professionals say rising numbers of complex births and a shortage of midwives are putting a strain on maternity services in Britain.

Babies of migrants make up two thirds of the 75,000 increase in births recorded by 2006, while many of the women who arrive from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and eastern Europe have medical complications that need extra care.

The problem is most acute in London, where one in six babies are born to immigrant mothers and which saw a 21 percent jump in births last year.

In January the RCM said the government needed to hire an additional 5,000 midwives in England alone.