IN an effort to increase awareness among midwives about the key and current issues with regards to maternal health; midwifery practices and education and to develop strategies to advance the midwifery profession, the Guyana Nurses and Midwives Association, in a collaborative effort with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), hosted a Midwifery Conference yesterday at the Regency Suites Hotel on Hadfield Street.

The conference, which brought together midwives from the ten administrative regions, was held under the theme “The world needs midwives now more than ever” and was aimed at highlighting proper health care practices among midwives who are considered key health care providers for achieving one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), that of ‘Improving Maternal Health’.

Minister within the Ministry of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, while delivering the feature address at the event said the forum is to strengthen the health care services in Guyana.

He noted that the administration has been placing safe motherhood on the forefront and will continue its commitment of allocating resources to improve the services to enhance the midwifery profession.

Research has shown that there has been a reduction in the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) which is the number of mothers who die as a result of childbirth, compared to every 100,000 children born alive.

In 2004, Guyana’s MMR stood at 115.9 resulting in a recorded 16,391 live births for the year. Under the Maternal Mortality Reduction Strategy Plan, developed for the period 2006-2010, it is expected that the MMR would be lowered to fewer than 100 deaths for every 100,000 live births.

Minister Ramsaran said that much investment have been made over the years in terms of infrastructure resulting in a significant increase in trained nurses in Guyana.

He also lauded President Jagdeo’s vision and advocacy of being able to facilitate several state-of-the-art institutions to aid in improving health care practices and enabling persons an opportunity to have access to services offered in developed countries.

The World Bank, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and World Health Organisation (WHO) have joined commitment to strengthen the health system globally to achieve the target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75 percent and achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015.

Chief Nursing Officer in the Ministry, Bibi Halfrose spoke of the importance of midwives since they help to reduce maternal mortality, infant morality and promote safe motherhood.

Approximately, 530,000 women die annually from pregnancy related complications, but according to Halfrose, there has been an 80 percent reduction.

She said the midwives play a very critical role in giving support during pregnancy.

She also urged midwives present to always treat patients information with strict confidentiality and respect and to be more focused to reduce maternal deaths in society.

The Midwives Association was launched on May 6, 2009 and is a sub-association of the Guyana Nurses Association. At present, its membership stands at an estimated 33 percent of total midwives. (GINA)