The world needs midwives - To fight maternal deaths(7/5/09)

The International Day of the Midwife was marked on Tuesday, May 5. The day is observed by many midwives each year to bring them together for educational meetings, promotional events and celebrations.
The theme for this year’s celebration was ‘The World Needs Midwives Now More Than Ever’. International Day of the Midwife was first celebrated on May 5, 1991, and has since been observed in over 50 nations around the world.
The idea of having a day to recognise and honour midwives came out of the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference in the Netherlands.
Midwives in the Greater Accra Region used the occasion to interact, educate, counsel and screen market women in the Accra metropolis on issues relating to their health.
It is said that a number of women died from obstetric complications because there was not enough skilled, regular and emergency care. It is estimated that in the developing countries, one in 16 women stood the risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth over a lifetime, compared with about one in 2,800 women in the developed world.
Considering the fact that Ghana’s maternal mortality rate is estimated at 210 per 100,000 live births, the country has intensified efforts to reduce deaths resulting from pregnancy related cases and in accordance with attainment of the Fifth Goal of Millennium Development Goal (MDG5).
The fifth target of the MDG talks about improving maternal health by reducing maternal mortality ratio by three quarters in areas where high risk of women dying during pregnancy or childbirth is prevalent.
In support of set goals and priorities for the Global Safe Motherhood Initiative and also in conformity with national safe motherhood programmes, the stimulation of research, mobilisation of resources, provision of technical assistance and sharing of information, services at the health facilities are being carried out to make childbirth and pregnancy safer.
A report compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) to promote the health of mothers and new-borns during birth and the postnatal period from a pre-congress collaborative workshop held in Brisbane, Australia in July 2005, chronicles key strategies identified in current midwifery initiatives and programmes.
Central themes underscore promoting the normal progress of labour and safe birth, prevention of postpartum haemorrhage, and advocacy campaigns to promote the health and well-being of mothers and new-borns in the participating countries.
The immeasurable roles played by midwives in improving maternal mortality and reducing infant mortality calls for commitment and dedication on the part of midwives to work relentlessly to promote safe motherhood.
It will be recalled that the National Chairperson of the Government Registered Midwives Group (GRMG), Mrs Rizwana Hawa Amoako-Agyei, at the launch of the Northern Regional branch of the GRMG in Tamale recently, expressed regret about what she termed the increasing complaints by some women who had allegedly been mistreated by midwives while in labour, and entreated midwives in the country to rededicate themselves to the pledge of supporting pregnant women, especially when they were in labour.
She also advised them to avoid insulting pregnant women, show them love, care and concern, instead of hate or rejection, since the way they handle the women in labour can affect their condition, which would also have ripple effects on their babies.
Similarly, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana (NMC), Reverend Veronica Darko, was reported to have expressed concern over the intolerant manner in which some nurses and midwives treat patients under their care.
She said some of the concerns had to do with the impolite way the patients are welcomed to the health facility, the insults rained on them when they are unable to provide certain vital information and the impatient manner in which prescriptions are explained to them.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic at a health screening exercise organised by the Greater Accra Registered Midwives Association for women at the 31st December Women's market, to commemorate this year's celebration of the International Midwives day in Accra, the National Secretary of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA), Ms Esther Quaye-Kumah, said the country needed to invest more resources for the training of midwives to render valuable services.
She advised expectant mothers to be serious with the attendance of child welfare clinic and utilise health facilities at the various communities to enhance safe delivery.
She regretted that there was low patronage of the Maternity Homes in the country due to the government’s free maternal health care policy, and explained that most pregnant women were unaware that some registered midwives were accredited to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to also offer free maternal health care to patients. She, however appealed to the government to regularly reimburse them with funds for services rendered under the scheme to make the system effective.
Ms Quaye-Kumah said midwives played important roles in improving maternal mortality and reducing infant mortality, stressing that “we are wide awake to our responsibilities and would work accordingly to make the desired impact”.
She stated that midwives were committed to work relentlessly to promote safe motherhood and called on pregnant women to patronise their services for quality health care and delivery.
Ms Quaye-Kumah urged nurses and midwives to continue to exhibit professional conduct and be sympathetic, caring and patient to patients.
Reverend Darko was speaking at the close of a two-day workshop on enhancing the image of nursing and midwifery practice in Ghana in Accra yesterday.
Investing in human capital, such as the training of midwives, as well as building the capacity of midwives and strengthening the midwifery profession to enable them improve the quality of services provided, is a valuable investment and this must be the priority of governments.