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By Martin Muleya

Zimbabwe is in dire need of midwives who are competent enough to reduce maternal, child morbidity and mortality in the country’s major hospitals, a government official, has said.

Speaking at the 18th Scientific meeting and Annual General Meeting of the Zimbabwe Confederation of Midwives, the Minister of Women, Gender and Community Development Oppah Muchinguri who was represented by Manicaland provincial head in the same ministry, Chido Tsinakwadi said it is estimated that up to 90 percent of maternal deaths could be prevented by universal access of a well educated and regulated midwifery workforce in a health system.

“About 350 000 more midwives are needed by 2015 in order to improve maternal health, reduce child mortality and combat HIV/AIDS. I therefore call for the government of Zimbabwe and partners to continue supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Care in training midwives in big numbers in an effort to increase and strengthen the midwifery workforce because investing in maternal health is very critical,” she said.

Muchinguri commended the Zimbabwe Confederation of Midwives (ZICOM) for promoting capacity building among its members as well as participating in mentorship programs organized by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, in strengthening the profile of midwives.

The Zanu-Pf Minister assured participants drawn from the country’s hospitals and clinics that she would continue advocating for better working conditions to avoid mass exodus of midwives in hospitals.

“Midwives in Zimbabwe are an important profession and I join hands with them in calling for recognition at the workplace and in the community through change of attitude. I will continue advocating for better working conditions; remunerations and retention of midwives because they have been identified as key to achieving reductions in maternal and newborn deaths and disabilities,” said Cde Muchinguri.

Addressing the same gathering ZICOM president Lorraine Dodzo saluted the few midwives in the country who have continued to provide critical maternal and child health services in the country. She however appealed to the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA) leadership to continue fighting for the equality in distribution of the Health Transition Fund (HTF) allowances adding that the discrepancies had heavily impacted on the midwifery workforce.

“I salute midwives who have remained in health institutions in the country and have been providing critical maternal and child health services. I encourage the midwives to remain patriotic and save the lives of women and children in Zimbabwe. I kindly ask ZINA president to continue fighting equality in distribution of HTF allowances because the discrepancies have destroyed the midwifery workforce,” she said.

It is believed that the prevailing mortality rate in the country is now 960 per 100 000 live births up from 725/100 000 of last year. This translates to mean that at least one woman dies in every 90 seconds while 10 women die everyday as a result of preventable pregnancy and child complications.

The two day ZICOM annual general meeting that was held at a local hotel in the city drew participants from all the ten provinces of the country as well as ZICOM executive members and was held under the theme “The world needs midwives now more than ever”.

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