Afghan Midwives Celebrate 5th Annual Congress
May 15, 2009
In celebration of the International Day of the Midwife on May 5, 2009, the Afghan Midwives Association (AMA)—with technical and financial support from the USAID-funded ACCESS Health Services Support Project (HSSP)—held its 5th Annual Congress on May 3, 2009. More than 400 participants attended the event to discuss the achievements and challenges facing Afghanistan’s midwives. Attendees included His Excellency the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatimie; Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)’s General Director of Human Resources, Dr. Abdullah Fahim; Acting USAID Mission Director, Mr. Peter Argo; UN agency and NGO representatives; and AMA members.
The yearly AMA Congress provides an opportunity for midwives to improve their professional skills and knowledge and learn from each other by sharing experiences. And this year’s theme, “The world needs midwives now more than ever,” was especiallypertinent to Afghanistan.
Midwives play an essential role in improving maternal and infant health in Afghanistan. Currently, Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world; approximately every 30 minutes a woman dies from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. However, the use of midwives as skilled birth attendants has proven to reduce maternal and newborn mortality rates.
The AMA, formed in 2005 with support from ACCESS, is internationally recognized as a member of the International Confederation of Midwives. The AMA now boasts a membership of more than 1,100, which continues to grow as new midwives graduate from U.S.- and other donor-supported midwifery schools and training programs.
The Afghan MoPH aims to reduce maternal and newborn deaths by increasing the number of midwives in Afghanistan, particularly in rural areas. The AMA works with the MoPH to promote the skills of midwives and to ensure that midwives are part of the policy development process. The AMA also advances excellence and accountability in midwifery practice. All of these elements translate into providing safe, high-quality health care for mothers and infants.
Mr. Peter Argo, Acting USAID Mission Director, congratulated the midwives who attended the Congress, noting, “The midwifery services now provided in thousands of communities are helping to meet women’s need for skilled care during pregnancy and birth, and are facilitating Afghanistan’s progress in achieving the related Millennium Development Goals.”
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