By Ndidi Chukwu
In its effort to boost the acceptance of contraceptives for family planning in Nigeria, the United Nations Population Fund has given 200 arm models to 98 midwifery schools in Nigeria.
This is to help students train in administering implants and other long lasting reversible contraceptives (LARC), while undergoing nursing training. The agency identified a lack of arm models for practice session for trained midwives and students, after the Nursing and Midwifery Council included LARC in midwifery curriculum last September and could get a donation from Merck to fill the knowledge gap.
“Nigeria’s profile in the State of Midwifery Report reveals that by 2030, Nigeria’s population is projected to increase by 62% to 273.1 million,” said Ratidza Ndhlovu, representative of UNFPA in Nigeria.
“To achieve universal access to sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn care, midwifery services must respond to 12.8 million pregnancies per annum by 2030, 50% of them in rural settings.”
Nigeria would be faced with figuring how best to configure and deploy health workers in sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health to cover at least 837 million antenatal visits, 163 million births, and 655 million post natal visits by 2030.
“Midwives are in the best position to provide these critical services for mothers and their babies by virtue of their training,” said Ndhlovu.
Wellbeing Foundation founder Toyin Saraki, wife of Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki and a Global ICM goodwill ambassador, officially handed over the arm models at the headquarters of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria in Abuja. She spoke of a need for a national conference on midwifery to allow practitioners update their technical knowledge and skills to prevent complications that result in the childbirth-related deaths of women and babies.
