The International Need for Midwives

By Sarah Vitello

According to the WHO, approximately 287,000 women die every year due to pregnancy and childbirth related complications that are often preventable. 2.9 million infants die during the first month of life.
This international problem has a solution: midwives. Midwives are essential to the health of mothers and children worldwide. They care for mothers during their pregnancy, labor, and post-partum period as well as the newborn. Midwives help prevent health issues that endanger the health of the mother or fetus during pregnancy, they detect abnormal conditions and make contingency plans, triage and obtain medical assistance when necessary, deliver babies safely and execute emergency procedures as able.  Although midwives are more accessible than physicians in hospitals located miles way, many developing countries do not have enough midwives to meet the needs of vulnerable communities they work within. The reasons for maternal mortality are ‘simple’ but these simple preventions are complicated for midwives by rough terrain and lack of infrastructure, lack of training and supplies, and low consumption of healthcare by the people in the area.

A study published in April 2011 piloted a project conducted by an American and a Zambian university and government doctors studied the effectiveness of midwifery on decreasing infant mortality. The researchers compared survival rates of newborns: the first week death rate dropped from 11.5 to 6.8 deaths per 1000 infants, a 50% decrease. The project’s total cost was $20,244, which was an estimated $208 per life. Midwives from 18 Zambian clinics taught basic courses in newborn care, including teaching how to clean and warm a newborn, resuscitation, breast feedings, and diagnosing common illnesses.
Organizations such as UNICEF and USAID are supporting midwife-training programs for countries in need around the world. Investing in midwife training ranges by country, averaging a cost per student per year of $1,250 to $11,800.  UNICEF has helped train midwives in Afghanistan to implement more female doctors, nurses, or midwives in facilities.  The USAID midwife-training program in Liberia recognizes the culture of home birth and knowledge of traditional midwives, and works to develop home-based life-saving skills training.
As much as outside organizations help with this issue, governments need to provide opportunities for midwives to update their skills, and should adopt legislation that enables midwives to use their full expertise.
Women’s World Health Initiative supports the important work of midwives by enacting projects that help provide maternity supplies and training to Community Healthcare Workers. Help WWHI continue to support midwives with a donation.

Hepatitis B: A Hidden Threat in Senegal

Women and their children in Senegal are facing a growing threat of hepatitis B infection, which can lead to liver cancer and sometimes death.  A recent news report states that over two million Senegalese have the disease, and most don't even know they are infected.  Ninety percent of cases are asymptomatic, and the country doesn't have universal screening, even though 350,000 people in Senegal are chronic carriers.

Hepatitis B can pass from mom to baby during birth, so pregnant women in more developed countries are screened for the disease and infants are vaccinated within 12-24 hours of birth to prevent infection.  The World Health Organization says all infants should be vaccinated by 24 hours old, but most Senegalese babies aren't until at least six weeks, because they were not born in a hospital where the vaccine was on hand.  To make things even more difficult, birth-doses of the vaccine aren't usually covered by international health organizations.

The danger is significant.  WHO states that hepatitis B kills around 600,000 people every year and causes the majority of liver cancers.  Even if the disease is not transmitted during birth, an unvaccinated child is still vulnerable to contracting it at home from contact with an infected caregiver or close relative. Screening and prevention are necessary as those infected as infants or young children are more likely to become chronically ill.

WWHI equips Community Healthcare Workers in Senegal to provide better care to women and their children at the local level.  Rather than having to walk for miles to the nearest clinic, pregnant women can be monitored and educated in their own villages, so threats like hepatitis B can be prevented, and if necessary identified and treated.  Check out the Get Involved section of our site to find out how you can help in this vital mission.

New Year, New Beginnings

Bonjour from Senegal! Here at WWHI, we're celebrating the New Year with the launch of our long-awaited Community-based Malaria & Anemia Program (CB-MAP)!

After extensive research and forged partnerships, WWHI is introducing a new, sustainable healthcare system that will build a strong community.

Over the course of the next few months, WWHI will be training local health workers how to prevent and treat malaria and anemia. To successfully eradicate malaria and anemia, we understand there is no quick fix like mosquito nets or other medical handouts. Instead, we'll educate rural communities to become strong and self-reliant so that they can build healthy lifestyles. The other reason communities need this training is that most local hospitals are hours away and many die from lack of access to ground transportation.

We appreciate your support and look forward to updating you with the progress of our program.

To learn more about WWHI or to donate your time or in-kind donation, please visit WWHI.org.