On 19 May 2014, International Midwives Day was celebrated at the Antsiranana City Hall. More than 300 midwives from across the country traveled. The theme this year is "The world needs a midwife now more than ever". The purpose of this three-day celebration is to highlight the midwifery profession and to engage the public, decision-makers, traditional and religious leaders on the importance of this profession in reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in Madagascar.
This day highlights these shadow-workers as well as their decisive role in the fight against maternal and neonatal mortality and particularly in Madagascar where sometimes the midwife works alone. To this difficulty, it must be added the geographical remoteness, the insecurity, the lack of adequate medical material and the socio-cultural differences that affect their results. In addition, there are many health centres in the country where there are no midwives or medical staff with the skills to monitor women during pregnancy and delivery. According to WHO standards, the ratio is one midwife per 5000 inhabitants, while in Madagascar there is a midwife for 16000 inhabitants. It lacks about 1500 midwives in the country. Midwives are indispensable because their medical, gynecological and obstetric skills make it possible for them to provide adequate and necessary care to save the lives of women and newborns.
"Supporting and investing in the profession midwife is one of the most profitable investments a country can make, which in turn will be beneficial to the health of families, communities and the development of the nation, "said Agathe Lawson, Representative of UNFPA in Madagascar.
The Ministry of Public Health and UNFPA work together to combat maternal and neonatal mortality by enhancing the profession of midwifery, in particular by supporting schools, the National Order of Midwives ( ONSFM) and the National Association of Midwives(ANSFM). For several years, actions in favor of the profession have been carried out. For example, new modules have been integrated into the midwifery curriculum, an evaluation of the education system for upgrading of training institutes has been conducted, a mentoring system to support and guide young midwives working in landlocked areas in the (add rest) their competence so that they are able to perform their work properly and efficiently. Finally, the code of ethics involving the duties and obligations of practicing midwifery was updated, validated and disseminated to midwives in 2013.
During these three days of celebration, awareness sessions on the dangers of early pregnancy will be addressed to decision-makers and young people. A midwifery kit to improve the quality of deliveries will be offered by UNFPA to the Antsiranana Level II Base Health Centre where the public consultations will take place on 20 May. In addition, visibly pregnant women will receive an individual birt hing kit during these forensic consultations.
