ICM: 3000 midwives gather to tackle maternal mortality and morbidity
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Midwives from over 111 countries will gather today at the International
Confederation of Midwives Triennial Congress in Durban, South Africa. They will
call for governments worldwide to take the necessary steps to end to needless
deaths of women in pregnancy and childbirth. Congress will start with an
inaugural rally .and march at 1.30pm on the 18(th) June, when 1000 Congress
delegates and supporters will walk for 5km through the city. This is the first
time ICM has held a Congress in Africa. The event and the march represent a show
of solidarity with mothers and midwifery colleagues across a continent which has
some of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in the world.
According to global estimates around 364,000 women die in pregnancy and
childbirth each year. 99% of these deaths occur in low resource countries.
Congress delegates will be joined by high profile maternal health advocates,
including the First Ladies of Kenya and Malawi and will participate in a
comprehensive peer reviewed scientific programme. The programme will include key
contributions from global agencies including the United Nations, the Gates
Foundation, the Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians alongside
individual experts in clinical midwifery practice and policy. The programme has
been organised by the South African Midwives' Association and aims to strengthen
the capacity of midwives to tackle the five major causes of maternal mortality
worldwide.
The landmark event will provide the global launch site for a major global report
on the state of the world's midwifery, created in partnership with 26
international agencies, including ICM and led by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
The State of the World's Midwifery Report :Delivering Health, Saving Lives
presents an overview of the number, skills level and distribution of life saving
midwives in those countries which experience the highest rates of maternal
death. The report will be launched on 20(th) June at 12.00 by the Executive
Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr Babatunde Osotimehin
and ICM President Bridget Lynch.
The ICM Congress will also see the launch of new global standards for midwifery
education and professional regulation. These will provide national governments
with the tools they need to address dangerous shortfalls in access to qualified
midwifery and support them to deliver targets for maternal and infant health
improvement. They have been developed in consultation with professional
midwives, educators and maternal health policy experts over three years. Global
in their scope, the standards answer the needs of those countries which face the
greatest challenges in ensuring that women in childbirth are attended by
professionals with essential midwifery skills.
Confederation President, Bridget Lynch said 'This Congress sees midwives taking
their place as an essential part of the maternal healthcare workforce and marks
a milestone achievement for our profession. We are the first healthcare
profession to establish global standards for education, regulation and midwifery
competence. The standards pave the way for high quality midwifery services. By
launching these alongside Delivering Health, Saving Lives we will have a global
picture of what is needed, the evidence of what works and the tools we need to
deliver in those countries where mothers pay the heaviest price for giving
life.' said Bridget Lynch, ICM President.
More information about the International Confederation of Midwives and the
Durban Congress can be found at www.internationalmidwives.org .
Media enquiries to Anita Wiseman, ICM Media & Communications Officer
e-mail a.wiseman(at)internationalmidwives.org
Mobile +27 (0)837573194
PDF version of the press release:
http://hugin.info/147998/R/1524293/460140.pdf
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Source: International Confederation of Midwives via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1524293]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 17.06.2011 - 13:21 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 55653
Anzahl Zeichen: 4811
contact information:
Town:
The Hague
Kategorie:
Business News
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