Nahimat Adekoga
The wife of the President of the Senate, Toyin Saraki, has advocated adequate training and equipping of midwives in order to reduce maternal mortality rate in the country.
Saraki argued that they hold the key to health of rural women and that women encounter midwives more than doctors in the country.
She stressed that in the rural areas, a well trained and equipped midwife would educate the rural woman on many health issues that concern them.
Saraki, who is the founder and President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), made the demands for adequate training and equipment at the end of a two weeks advocacy and sensitisation on the roles of midwives in Nigeria.
The wife of the President of the senate, who is a Global Goodwill Ambassador of the International Confederation Midwives, emphasized the importance of reviewing the Midwifery Services Skills and Framework in Nigeria.
She called for the adoption of the World Health Organization’s Four Year Integrated Nursing And Midwifery Competency Based Prototype Curriculum For the African Region, saying, we must remind ourselves the vital position midwives take in women’s health. Midwives are key to improving and maintaining women’s health.
“More women will encounter a midwife than a doctor. We must use the position of midwives in the communities and hospitals and educate women about their health, with reliable and accurate information.”
“In a recent report by the World Health Organization titled: Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Realities, 2750 midwives stated how they did not feel respected and empowered.
“It is our responsibility to empower and protect our midwives. Midwives should not be left without a salary, they should not have to face abuse at work or disrespect from their peers or patients.
“We must work to improving the treatment of midwives, because they are essential to the health of the nation. Without a midwife or a birth attendant chances of death during pregnancy and labour immediately increase by a high margin.
“If we are to improve maternal, newborn, women’s and the family’s health we must ensure midwives are well-respected and well regarded in our communities,” she said.
