Southern Ethiopia - Gwent Health Link

I was delighted to be invited to join the midwifery team of the Southern Ethiopia Gwent Health Link for the visit to Ethiopia in October/November 2007.

Background

My own professional background is in nursing and midwifery practice, midwifery education, teacher training and more recently, quality assurance and policy development. My current post of Professional Adviser (Midwifery) is with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and I have a responsibility for statutory supervision of midwives in Wales. Although I have not previously worked in or travelled to Ethiopia, I have travelled all my life and several African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries are familiar to me, particularly Egypt. I was fortunate some years previously to be part of a University of Wales team to spend time in Kenya delivering a Diploma in Management course for nurses and midwives from Kenya and Pakistan who were employed in hospitals funded by the Aga Khan Foundation. It has always been my intention to contribute further to working with developing countries.

My role in the Gwent midwifery team’s visit to Ethiopia was to take the lead on introducing the nurse/midwives on the Continuing Midwifery Education (CME) skills course, to the basic principles of teaching and learning. The rationale for inclusion of the teaching component was to enable course participants to pass on the knowledge and skills gained to colleagues and other healthcare workers. I was also to assist my midwifery colleagues by facilitating small groups of course participants as they practised midwifery skills and emergency procedures. The longer term aim of the total CME programme is to enhance the knowledge and skills of course participants so that they may positively influence midwifery/obstetric practice in their place of work and contribute to the reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in Ethiopia.

Prior to the visit I was able to review a draft copy of a midwifery course curriculum from Debub University. I hoped to be able to discuss the document with relevant personnel in Ethiopia and provide advice, as necessary, on aspects of midwifery training.