Joint Annual Performance Review 2007 - Ministry of Health

Results: Attractiveness of midwifery as
a profession (1)
• During the High-Level Midwifery Forum held in
December 2005, a number of references were
made to the decrease in popularity to train as a
midwife. It appears that in 2004/5 there was a
problem recruiting an adequate number of students
onto midwifery programmes. RTC Directors report
that for 2006, numbers of students enrolled onto all
midwifery programmes has dramatically increased.
They were unable to explain why there had been
an increase in numbers, but suggested the
publicity from the High-level Forum and the
promise of better pay and incentives may have
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contributed to this.
Results: Attractiveness of midwifery as
a profession (2)
• The MoEY&S were willing to discuss with MOH
possibility of promoting attended births in their
schools health programme, this would be an
informal way of both encouraging future parents
to seek professional care, but also give higher
profile to the work of a midwife.
• Without exception midwives showed a high
regard for their chosen profession. Reasons
given for both becoming a midwife and staying
in the profession were mainly to do with
assisting women and helping to save lives.
Midwives clearly valued the support from the
government and especially from MoH.
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