Graduates of midwifery schools to participate in NYSC
Fresh graduates of midwifery schools are soon to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, health minister Eyitayo Lambo has said.
Lambo announced the decision in Abuja at the opening of a stakeholders meeting on ``Midwifery Education and Practice for the Reduction of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in Nigeria.''
He said the ministry was finalising arrangements for inclusion of midwives in the NYSC scheme ``to curb the dearth of midwives in the rural areas''.
Lambo said there also would be a re-introduction of basic midwifery programme that would be community-oriented.
He said that the programme ``will feature a one-year mandatory community midwifery service to ensure the presence of midwives in rural areas and procurement of midwifery kits''.
The minister furthermore said that midwifery curricula would be reviewed to include family planning, community health/planning and care, life saving skills, post-abortion care and reproductive health components.
He also said there would be capacity building for midwifery educators and clinical instructors in schools of midwifery on post-abortion care, life saving skills for pre-service midwifery education.
Government, he said, would produce and distribute national protocols for obstetrics and neo-natal care as reference document for all cadres of healthcare providers in the country.
Lambo said the innovations were part of effort to strengthen the capacity of nurses and midwives for the reduction of unacceptably high rate of maternal morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.
He commended the efforts of development partners, including IPAS, WHO, UNICEF, COMPASS, ENHANSE, GHAIN, UNIFPA, for their contributions to the modest achievements in healthcare delivery in Nigeria.