How Can Health Leaders Improve Respect and Recognition for Midwives?

By Olajumoke Adebayo, Midwife, advocate, and founder of Reprolife Olajumoke giving a tetanus toxoid vaccine during a client ' s antenatal visit. Photo provide by Olajumoke Adebayo for IntraHealth International.May 04, 2022Imagine if midwives’ voices were heard, they were fairly compensated, had safe working conditions, and could perform their full scope of practice.Unfortunately, lack of respect and recognition for frontline health workers lie at the heart of many workforce-related challenges that impede progress toward ending the global Covid-19 pandemic, eliminating preventable maternal and child deaths, and reaching universal health coverage. A 2021 comprehensive review found that skilled birth attendants and midwives face low salary and inconsistent payments; poor supervision; lack of supplies, equipment, electricity, and water; and lack of safety; leading to low morale, poor retention of trained staff, acute staff shortages, and a heavy workload for remaining staff. So we sat down with 26 experts, including frontline health workers like Olajumoke Adebayo to identify effective strategies and recommendations to change that.Ola is a nurse-midwife and advocate in Nigeria, and one of the International Confederation of Midwives’ Young Midwife Leaders. She shares key challenges she and other midwives face and what she thinks will help.Read:Strengthening Respect and Recognition for Health Workers: Strategies and Recommendations, our new...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Policy & Advocacy International Day of the Midwife Health Workers Midwives Nurses Source Type: news