Regional three-day Midwifery Policy Workshop opens Sunday

Nov 12, 2022 News

– action plan that guides regulation and practice of midwifery in the Caribbean to be developed

Kaieteur News – The Caribbean Regional Midwives Association (CRMA) along with partner, Momentum Country Global Leadership (MCGL/USAID) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will be hosting a 3-day policy dialogue workshop to discuss the State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) Report 2021 from November 13 -16 , 2022 at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown, Guyana.

The third global State of the World’s Midwifery Report (SoWMy 2021) provides an updated evidence base on the Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Adolescent Health (SRMNAH) care from 194 countries. For the first time, the State of the World’s Midwifery (SoWMy) 2021 includes high-income countries (HICs) as well as low- and middle-income countries.

The Report, produced by UNFPA, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Novametrics, shows the progress and trends since the inaugural Report 2011 and identifies the barriers and challenges to future advancement. The Report establishes a global shortage of 1.1 million SRMNAH workers, the largest shortage (900,000) being midwives.

This workshop entitled ‘State of the World’s Midwifery: A Caribbean Response’ will highlight the findings and recommendations of this global report and explore its impact on the Caribbean Region with a view to forging recommendations for much needed support to the Maternal Health workforce.

Policy Dialogue Workshop attendees include the Chief Nurses and Heads of Regulatory Councils from the following confirmed countries in the Region: Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobago.

The workshop’s core objectives are to formulate a Caribbean response to the Report and to develop an action plan that will give guidance to the regulation and practice of midwifery in the Region. It is anticipated that the recommendations of this dialogue will lead to an elevation of midwives, midwifery practice and by extension improve the care given to SRMNAH clients in the Region.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Clarissa Etienne has raised the alarm that the Caribbean’s progress in attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals is ‘limited and uneven’. “The world, including the Region of the Americas, is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals”.

The SoWMy Report 2021 suggests that an increase in investments in midwives would yield important returns such as, more positive birth experiences, improved health outcomes, and inclusive and equitable economic growth. These factors will move us closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

The participants of this 3-day workshop will discuss some of the key issues raised in the SoWMy Report 2021 namely, education and training, scope of practice, workforce and migration. At the end of this policy dialogue, an action plan will be developed to improve the practice of midwifery and client outcomes in the Region.