Midwives withstand crisis and save lives, ICM Congress told

During the trying time in South Sudan when nobody dares to go out of the home due to the social unrest, it is midwives who take the risk to save mothers lives.

Nurul Islam Hasibfrom Torontobdnews24.com
Published : 20 June 2017, 03:20 PM
Updated : 20 June 2017, 03:20 PM

“They even walk a long way to attend a mother. They donate blood if needed to save a mother bleeding while giving birth. They keep their commitment to the profession,” Sake Jemila Beda, President of South Sudan Nurses and Midwives Association, said remembering the days in July last year and also in December 2013.

During those periods, South Sudan witnessed massive fighting between rival armed groups defying UN warnings.

“It was like if you are in a hospital, you stay there. If you are at home, you stay there. But still, midwives went out to save lives,” she said.

Jemila Beda was sharing her experience at a symposium on Tuesday morning at the sidelines of the ongoing Congress of the midwives in Toronto. The symposium discussed midwives role in saving women’s lives in humanitarian emergencies.

In crisis situations, one in five women of childbearing age is likely to be pregnant.

However, during a disaster or any humanitarian setting, the availability of midwifery services to address critical and urgent needs of pregnant women and their newborn babies is drastically reduced, UNFPA says.

The UN agency reached 11.4 million people with sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services in humanitarian settings last year in 55 countries. It also ran 481 mobile clinics in 27 countries.

“Midwives are the solution for fragile states,” said Sheena Currie, maternal health adviser of Jhpiego.

“Midwife has the resilience to respond to humanitarian crisis,” Chief sexual and reproductive health branch of UNFPA, Anneka Knutson, said.

Rondi Anderson, a midwife specialist at the UNFPA Dhaka office, told bdnews24.com that they also deployed midwives after the cyclone disasters in Bangladesh.

“We also deployed midwives when Myanmar refugees came to Bangladesh last year in October,” she said, adding that currently 4O midwives are deployed in Cox’s Bazar areas after the cyclone Mora.

“They work at the union level facilities, and we found them so committed that they are attending mothers for delivering and providing pregnancy-related check-ups in such an emergency situation”.

“They are independent and confident, and they think that they will be successful to reduce Maternal and infant mortality rate in the area they are posted,” she said.

Midwifery education is monitored globally as countries are recommended to maintain a certain level of standards so that they learn the skills and can be devoted to the profession.

UNFPA Acting Executive Director Dr Natalia Kanem earlier on Monday said speaking at a plenary said midwives are “trusted” leaders in the community.

“They are ready, willing and able to help, the first part of the leadership principles,” she said, adding that they are also “creative and caring” when it comes to doing their job. “Using all those principles, they make a difference in the world.”

Over 4000 midwives, medical practitioners, obstetricians, gynaecologists, health care professionals, governments, policy makers along with UN agencies, international non-government organisations and donors from all over the world have convened this time at the 31st International Confederation of Midwives’ or ICM Triennial Congress.

This is the biggest event on the midwifery calendar where all share and learn, network and interacts with each other’s work on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, and gain new knowledge and latest evidence in midwifery practice, education and research.

The Congress will end on Thursday.