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Midwives must do more than just deliver babies‚ MEC tells Durban conference

Midwives should actively advocate messages of maternal care at every given opportunity — even at weddings and church gatherings.

This was the call made by KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo at Tuesday’s opening of the Society of Midwives of South Africa (Somsa) Congress‚ which is underway in Durban until Friday.

Hundreds of midwives from all over the country are attending the conference‚ which is being held under the theme: Midwives: Taking the lead in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“When healthcare professionals are lazy‚ take short cuts and fail to observe protocols‚ people die and they never get a second chance. Therefore‚ healthcare workers must always do everything humanly possible to save lives‚” said Dhlomo.

Nurses should be alert and be keen to do random assessment of pregnant women and children at any available platform where they can add value‚ he said.

“This proactive approach can go a long way in terms of yielding desired results in managing maternal deaths.

“As a country‚ we are measured by how much we support pregnant women and we are called upon to do everything possible to help those women. You therefore need to do everything humanly possible to save lives.”

Over 239 pregnant women died in KwaZulu-Natal last year. However the maternal mortality rate has shown a consistent decline from 385 deaths in 2010.

 

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