Date: 2015-09-11

Wife of the President of the Senate, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, on Thursday, canvassed for adequate funding of midwifery education in the country to afford nurses and midwives the opportunity for further professional development.

Mrs. Saraki made the plea while addressing stakeholders in the health sector at the 2015 annual general meeting of the International Confederation of Midwives, (ICM), at the Hague, Netherlands.

According to her, there is need to invest more in midwifery education in Nigeria to be able to robustly address challenges in maternal and child delivery services across the country.

She stressed that practitioners in the health sector need conducive working environments to help in delivering their expert skills and experiences to patients.

Mrs. Saraki said; "I have long known the valuable roles that midwives have been playing in changing health outcomes of women and children. This insight has also informed our global advocacy for the increased accessibility, availability, acceptability and quality of midwifery around the world.

"Using our global voice and new consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), seeks to garner further international investment in midwife training, and call for the rapid inclusion of skilled midwives at the heart of government and international policy on maternal and newborn health - particularly, in this pivotal year which will see the finalization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the beginning of a new era in international development," she said.

While urging the international community not to relent in their support to guarantee vibrant midwifery and nursing services across the globe, the Senate President's wife pointed out that the task ahead in achieving a healthy lifestyles and promoting quality health services for all at all ages has become imperative.

Mrs. Saraki also disclosed that her Non-governmental Organization, (NGO), The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, (WBFA), over the years have channeled efforts and resources towards improving maternal, newborn and child health.

She further stated that the long tradition of midwifery services in Nigeria and other parts of Africa require frontline interventions by both governments and other critical stakeholders.

She called for more engagement and commitment in the part of midwives and nurses in the renewed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) just as she pleaded with governments to look into the issues surrounding the recruitment, retention and renumeration of midwives which according her pose serious challenges to the delivery of efficient healthcare services.