International Day of the Midwife : ASFAC highlights the role of the midwife

The Association of Midwives and Assimilated of Cameroon (ASFAC), in partnership with UNFPA, organised a campaign to offer free care at the Tsinga district medical centre from 26 to 28 April 2023. During this three-day campaign, the population was informed about the midwifery profession.

Elvis Serge NSAA

Globally, approximately 830 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy
and childbirth. In 2015, 303,000 women died during or after pregnancy or childbirth. Most of these deaths occurred in low-income countries and most could have been prevented. In Cameroon, according to recent estimates, the maternal mortality
ratio stands at 446 deaths per 100,000 live births. This is thanks to the contribution of midwives. One of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 3 is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio
to below 70 per 100,000 live births and the neonatal mortality ratio to no more than 12 per 1,000 live births. Approximately 1,500 midwives are unemployed across Cameroon despite the great need in hospitals. The improvement of mother and child health is still a priority objective in the world, particularly in Cameroon where the campaign to offer free care was organised from 26 to 28 April 2023, at the Tsinga District Health Centre, by the Association of Midwives and Assimilated of Cameroon (ASFAC).
This noble initiative in this health area aims at encouraging women to make prenatal consultations in order to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. ASFAC, in partnership with UNFPA,
has organised a campaign to offer free care, including family planning, prenatal and post-natal consultations, as well as cervical and breast cancer screening, to the less well-off populations. Given that in resource-limited settings such as ours, where maternal and perinatal deaths remain among the highest in the world, quality care, by acting upstream of childbirth and post-partum, could help reduce the high death rate. It is in this context that the 14th National Scientific Days of the National
Association of Midwives and Assimilated of Cameroon will be held on 03, 04 and 05 May 2023, at the Sembé Lecco Park, Bertoua under the theme: “Humanisation of care for a lower risk maternity”. On the occasion of this scientific day, the President of ASFAC, Annie Hortense Atchoumi, will highlight the added value of these frontline workers and she will underline their precious contribution to many young families. When pregnancy
and childbirth are normal, using the services of a midwife is an entirely justified choice. International standards
The role of midwives is to accompany women during their pregnancy
and birth, whether at home, in a birth centre or in hospital. They also provide post-natal care up to 6 weeks. “Despite the fact that the profession of midwife is recognised in Cameroon, it is still unknown to the general public. At one time, midwives and maieuticians
were confused in their training with nurses. We wanted to organise this campaign to raise awareness of the midwifery profession.
Simply because many Cameroonians do not know the profession
of midwifery, nor its role,” said the national vice-president of ASFAC. The midwife’s main mission is to contribute to the reduction of neonatal and infant mortality, not only through the protection of the profession, but also through the perpetuation of good practices in the exercise of the function, and finally, she must make herself available where the need arises. The profession of midwifery requires know-how and passion. The midwife
supervises the mother-to-be during her delivery to give birth. She provides prenatal and postnatal
monitoring to ensure the good health of the mother and baby. In 2011, Cameroon had only 122 qualified midwives, of which only 4 were in the public sector (2011 Report on the practice of midwives in the world) for an estimated need of 5,400 according to international standards.