The Federal Government and Midwifery Council of Nigeria have entered into a agreement in order to curb the spate of maternal and newborn mortality in the country.
The partnership is to ensure that graduating midwives serve a compulsory one-year in local governments across the country.
This was revealed in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP, yesterday.
The statement reads, “the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Nursing and are in partnership to place newly graduated Basic Midwives on a one year mandatory service at Primary Health Care centers across the country.”
It is against this backdrop that the Federal Government deployed not less than 1,473 newly graduated midwives to Primary Healthcare centers across the country.
Acting Executive Secretary, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Emmanuel Odu the move was necessary as it was discovered that many pregnant women who attend antenatal care do not return to the hospitals to give birth afterwards.
He also said, the deployment is aimed at improving maternal, newborn and child health outcomes.
He said, “With 61% of pregnant women receiving ante-natal care by a skilled provider in the country, only 38% of births were attended to by skilled birth attendants while only 36% deliver in health facilities. He enjoined the midwives, as skilled birth attendants to rededicate themselves and contribute to bridging the gap.”
Speaking at the occasion of the 2–day orientation workshop for the first batch of the new basic midwives, he urged them to see themselves as agents of change, stressing that a combination of their professional skills, positive attitude, and care would stimulate health-seeking behavior and service utilization.
He further disclosed that the second and third batches of the graduating midwives will hold in Kaduna and Edo states very soon adding that the federal government is ready to partner with both states and local government.
Read more at https://www.medicalworldnigeria.com/2016/11/graduating-midwives-on-mandatory-service-as-fg-posts-over-1000#.WBnYbtWLRdg