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Courtesy of Jonathan Torgovnik/Getty Images Reportage

Pregnancy and Birth Care

Shortages in specialist providers and an uneven distribution of the health workforce within countries pose a significant challenge to many low- and middle-income countries and impacts on the health and well-being of women and girls. Sharing tasks and responsibilities among health worker cadres is a proven strategy for improving access to high quality reproductive and maternal health care. The WHO, UNFPA, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), and other experts and professional associations have called for using midwifery care, to ease the burden on healthcare human resources. Learn more about our work to promote task-sharing and best practices for some of the most common causes of preventable maternal mortality and disability.

  • Partnerships for Policy and Practice

    Partnerships for Policy and Practice

    Midwifery and Task-Sharing to Improve Maternal and Neonatal Health (Mnh) and Sexual and Reproductive Health (Srh) Care in Mexico

    In 2016 Gynuity commenced a project in Mexico to increase awareness among clinical providers and health care administrators about best practices for low-risk pregnancies and births, and more broadly, the continuum of maternal and neonatal health (MNH) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). We seek to foster an enabling environment for the entry of professional midwives and obstetric nurses into the healthcare system through the following activities:

    • Compile and disseminate evidence-based resources on task-sharing MNH and SRH care into a resource compendium and create a one-day course based on key concepts from the resource compendium.
    • Identify and prepare multidisciplinary teams of clinical trainers and spokespersons to lead dissemination efforts.
    • Educate medical practitioners and students on best practices for low-risk pregnancy and birth and the continuum of MNH and SRH care.
    • Explore health care administrator willingness to integrate midwifery professionals in their services.

    We evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and perception of course participants and will disseminate results in 2019. This effort is part of a large initiative funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to promote professional midwifery care in health systems broadly in Mexico.

    Midwifery Community of Practice in Mexico

    This community of practice is a virtual space for civil society organizations and other actors interested in strengthening midwifery in Mexico. It seeks to strengthen the collective learning through the exchange of successful experiences and lessons learned. Gynuity has been participating in the Comunidad de Partería de México since its inception sharing a large compendium of resources in Spanish and English including evidence-based research, clinical practice guidelines and training resources for professionals working in the midwifery arena.

  • Related Resources