–the rallying call as Guyana joins in celebrating International Day of the Midwife

By Alisa Lashley

COVID-19 or not, members of the Midwives Association of Guyana (MAG) joined their thousands of colleagues the world over in celebrating International Day of the Midwife.

And the rallying call here in our neck of the woods this year, amidst the ravages and despair wrought by this latest pandemic called the Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is known, was: “Let us put our best efforts together and make it happen!”
The “it” at reference is that they all, meaning everyone in the healthcare business, rally to the one cause: To provide the support needed for midwives to practise their calling to the best of their ability.

The call was made by President of the Midwives Association of Guyana, Maria Francois, who, in her address to her colleagues to mark the occasion said:
“Let us continue to make a contribution to the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals! Let’s pool together all our strengths, so that as a people and a country, we can curb ALL preventable deaths in Guyana, and ensure that mothers and their babies live to enjoy a fulfilled, happy life!”

ORIGINS
According to the International Federation of Midwives (IFM), “a midwife is a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women to give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour, and the post-partum period.
Since 1992, May 5 has been set aside to render global recognition to midwives around the world, through the celebration of their constant hard work and successes over the years.
This year’s celebration was held under the theme, ‘Midwives with women: Celebrate, demonstrate, mobilise, unite; our time is now’.

Giving a background as to how the organisation got started here, Francois said: “With support from the United Nations Population Fund, the Association was formed in 2010 to ensure that international commitments in relation to midwifery were realised, particularly since the empowering of midwives was considered, and still is the key to help in stopping preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

“Like so many other countries in the world, The Midwives Association of Guyana can boast that it is among the first set of countries registered with the International Confederation of Midwives.”

She said that to date, midwifery support groups and regional focal points have been established in all 10 of Guyana’s administrative regions, starting under the leadership of Ms. Gillian Butts-Garnett and ably supported by Ms. Mandy La Fleur of the Ministry of Public Health.

MAG IN ACTION
The Association continues to capitalise on the opportunities provided every year through the observance of the International Day of the Midwives, Francois said, by publicly demonstrating their commitment to supporting midwifery care and services, and helping policymakers focus on the need to support midwives in their quest to provide quality care and services.

She also said that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the social distancing that is in effect, they have not been able to hold public meetings as regularly as they would have liked to, if at all.

Noting that the year 2020 holds special significance in the lives of nurses and midwives, in light of the invaluable service they provide, Francois said: “As we unite with other health professionals in the fight against COVID-19, we must recognise the important role that we have to play. In the midst of this global pandemic, midwives have risen to this extraordinary challenge to support one another in the fight to protect mothers and babies. While the times are tough, we need to be reminded of the overwhelming solidarity that has emerged from the maternity units around Guyana.

The consistent members of staff are pulling all efforts to provide excellent care. I encourage all our midwives to continue social distancing, to use our Personal Protective Equipment, and to adhere to good hygienic practices.

DEBT OF GRATITUDE
To better put into perspective the many things for which we here in Guyana owe a debt of gratitude to our cadre of dutiful midwives, Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, in her address to mark the occasion, came up with a list of things we usually take for granted, such as:
i: The safe delivery of a life into this world, which takes a lot of skill and dedication;
ii: their bravery in traversing the Pomeroon and Essequibo Rivers, and even the Kwakwani and Bartica rough roads in the wee hours of the morning, and sometimes late at nights to get their patients to higher levels of care;

iii: their care in emergency settings, and important role in Guyana in helping us to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 3, and Universal Health Coverage;
iv: their dedication to ensuring that every child is protected against vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio, measles, and whooping cough; and
v: their role in helping our young girls to achieve their full potential by ensuring they have the necessary services so they can be protected against the HPV and return to school to fulfill their dreams.

STAY THE COURSE
In closing, besides calling on fellow midwives as well as nurses to continue practicing social distancing, using their Personal Protective Equipment, and adhering to good hygienic practices, Francois, quoting an excerpt from the World Bank’s 2011 State of the World’s Midwifery Report, said: “The returns on investment on midwives is a ‘best buy’; midwives are a ‘best buy’ for maternal and newborn survival, and is a ‘best buy’ in primary healthcare, yielding a 16-fold return on investment, when taking into account the cost for their education, and comparing this with the cost of C-sections that can be avoided.”

She also used the occasion to extend her gratitude to the Minister of Public Health and her team; the Regional Health Administrators and managers; hospital administrators; as well as the UNFPA, PAHO and the Executive members of the Midwives Association of Guyana for their commitment to ensuring that their goals are achieved.