2023-05-06 05:51:35
Kinshasa, May 6th2023 (CPA). – A call for the regulation of midwifery was launched on Friday in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, by the president of the Congolese Society of Midwives (SCOSAF), Ambroka Kabeya, on the occasion of the International Day of Midwives, celebrated on May 5th each year.
« Midwives are soldiers on the frontline of maternal and child care. They fight the battle to ensure that women survive childbirth and that new-borns are born safely. Hence the call for regulation of the sector to protect midwives in the exercise of their profession, » said Mr Amborka on the international day, which was held under the theme « Together again: from evidence to reality ».
For his part, the Director of the Directorate of Health and Specific Group, Jean Bertin Epumbe, representing the General Secretary of Health, welcomed the commitment of the parliament working to regulate the profession of midwifery. « All over the world and particularly in DRC, midwives play an essential role in moving the country towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, i.e. reducing the rate of maternal and child deaths, reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS by spreading the message during antenatal consultations (ANC). Midwives also save the lives of couples by helping them do family planning to determine the number of children, » he said.
He said the Ministry in charge of Public Health is making efforts to protect midwives by having a legal framework.
For the deputy representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in DRC, Kennet Ehouzou, this agency, which is the main partner of SCOSAF, supports midwives by offering quality training so that no woman dies while giving birth in DRC.
Mr. Ehouzou stressed that UNFPA is working to ensure that by 2030 there will be « zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning and zero gender-based violence.
« Every two minutes a woman dies giving birth, so midwives are a means to reduce maternal and new-born deaths. This is why we must advocate for universal access to quality midwives, » said the UNFPA deputy representative.CPA/
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