Midwives crucial to reduction of deaths from pregnancy-related complications

Nov 28, 2009 News

– Chief Nursing Officer

By Sharmain Cornette

A section of the gathering at the conference

More than 530,000 women die annually because of pregnancy-related complications, a reality that was highlighted Wednesday during a midwives’ conference held at the Regency Suites/Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
The conference which is the first for Guyana was held by the Nurses Association, the Midwives Sub-Association in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Confederation of Midwives, under the theme, ‘The world needs midwives now more than ever.’
According to Chief Nursing Officer, Ms Bibi Hafrose, there is overwhelming evidence that the demand for midwives, particularly in developing countries, is ever increasing. She said that there are about 300 million women in developing countries who are living with illnesses due to pregnancy and other related complications.
“We have this great need for more midwives now. They play a very critical role. The midwife is a responsible and accountable professional who works with the woman in giving support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and the post partum period and care to the newborn,” Hafrose outlined.
The critical role of midwives, she said, includes preventative measures, promotion of normal birth, the detection of complication in mother and baby and the assessing of medical care or other appropriate assistance and the carrying out of emergency measures.
“Midwives need to know what their practices and standards are. It is not that you are qualified as a midwife and you go about delivering babies and that’s it. The midwife has an important task in health counselling and education, not only for the woman, but also within the family and the community.”
Mr Derven Patrick, UNFPA’s Technical Specialist on Maternal and Reproductive Health, lauded the efforts of the Nursing Association to refocus the work of midwives in the delivery of health care. According to him, the focus of midwives must take place with the knowledge that sustained and increased investment in sexual and reproductive health service which promises tremendous benefits to women, families and societies.
In addition to improving health, he opined that sexual and reproductive health services contribute to economic growth, social and gender equality, democratic governance and all of the Millennium Development Goals.
“If we are to better appreciate the substantial returns in sexual and reproductive health investments, policy makers need a fuller accounting of the broad benefits than we have available today.”
Patrick emphasised further that investing in health systems is critical to scaling up the response to reproductive rights. He said that there are essential components of a package of health services that address the health needs of communities, adding that poor countries such as Guyana need not repeat the structural adjustment experiences of dealing with budget deficits by decreasing allocation to the social sector.
“This is the minimum support for people and communities. Without social services more people will fall into poverty in all its manifestations.”
And in the quest to reverse the negative manifestations, Patrick noted that it is the pleasure of the UNFPA to partner with the local Nurses and Midwives Association. The midwives programme was conceived by the International Conference of Midwives and UNFPA as a joint response to the worldwide emerging interest in human resources for health.
According to Patrick, the drive to critically position midwives led to a strategic collaboration in the form of a joint programme investing in midwives and those with midwifery skills. This joint initiative, he said, was launched internationally in June 2008 with the slogan “the world needs midwives now more than ever to save the lives of mothers and babies.”
Minister within the Health Ministry, Dr Bheri Ramsaran, who also graced the forum on Wednesday, related that though it may not be widely known, the ruling administration is continually working in innovative ways to improve the nursing profession even as it helps the Nursing and Midwives Association.