(Press-News.org) A scheme supporting newly graduated, unemployed, and retired midwives to work in rural areas of Nigeria and provide essential obstetric care has helped to improve maternal, newborn, and child health and could potentially serve as a model for other low-income countries. This includes helping redistribute health workforce in low-income countries to reduce the health inequities between urban and rural areas.
In a Health in Action article in this week's PLoS Medicine, a group of Nigerian researchers from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency in Abuja, and the Federal Ministry of Health, describe the Midwife Service Scheme in which midwives are posted for one year to selected primary care facilities in hard-to-reach areas or among underserved populations with the capacity to provide basic essential obstetric care linked to a secondary health care facility that is able to provide comprehensive emergency obstetric care.
The authors say: "The [Midwife Service Scheme] Strategy of the Nigerian government recognises that strategically redistributing and improving the skill set of existing cadres of health workers is achievable on a large scale."
After one year of the scheme, there was an uneven improvement in maternal, newborn, and child health indices in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and despite major challenges to continuing the scheme—such as the retention, availability and training of midwives, and varying levels of commitment from state and local governments across Nigeria—there are plans to overcome these challenges and further develop the scheme.
The authors say: "The initiative potentially serves as a model for other developing countries within and outside sub-Saharan Africa who may need to redistribute their health workforce to reduce the inequities that exist among geographical zones and between urban and rural areas."
###Funding: No specific funding was received for writing this manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Abimbola S, Okoli U, Olubajo O, Abdullahi MJ, Pate MA (2012) The Midwives Service Scheme in Nigeria. PLoS Med 9(5): e1001211. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001211
CONTACT:
Seye Abimbola
National Primary Health Care Development Agency
Abuja
Nigeria
seyeabimbola@hotmail.com
Ugo Okoli
National Primary Health Care Development Agency
Abuja
Nigeria
uokoli2@yahoo.com
Moving midwives to work in rural areas helps improve essential obstetric care
2012-05-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Were dinosaurs undergoing long-term decline before mass extinction?
2012-05-02
Despite years of intensive research about the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs about 65.5 million years ago, a fundamental question remains: were dinosaurs already undergoing a long-term decline before an asteroid hit at the end of the Cretaceous? A study led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History gives a multifaceted answer.
The findings, to be published on May 1 in Nature Communications, suggest that in general, large-bodied, "bulk-feeding" herbivores were declining during the last 12 million years of the Cretaceous. But carnivorous dinosaurs and mid-sized ...
Who Does Mother's Day for Mom When Dad's Away?
2012-05-02
MOPS International recently asked a Facebook group of thousands of fans what they wanted for Mother's Day. The answers were NOT breakfast in bed, flowers, or jewelry. Not even chocolate. Instead, moms wanted a little R&R: time to read, time away from cleaning, or maybe even a full kid-free day. Let's face it: Busy moms take care of everyone else. They rarely make time to take care of their selves.
If free time is what moms crave, imagine what it's like for a military spouse with children who has been doubly-busy as a sole parent for 12-18 months, often for the fourth ...
Large Loss Claim Response - Pie Efficiently Mobilizes Resources
2012-05-02
Pie Consulting & Engineering (Pie) is currently handling a large-loss claim that required rapid mobilization of staff and other resources from two of our regional offices, (Minnesota and Texas) in addition to resources from our corporate office in Colorado.
Leading this team of engineers, registered roofing consultants (RRC), and technicians is Pie's Regional Manager Brian Erickson, P.E., RRC. "We are analyzing nearly 150 structures ranging from single-story buildings to multi-story/multi-unit structures. The analysis involving detailed distress mapping elevations, ...
Computer use and exercise combo may reduce the odds of having memory loss, Mayo Clinic finds
2012-05-02
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - You think your computer has a lot of memory … if you keep using your computer you may, too.
Combining mentally stimulating activities, such as using a computer, with moderate exercise decreases your odds of having memory loss more than computer use or exercise alone, a Mayo Clinic study shows. Previous studies have shown that exercising your body and your mind will help your memory but the new study, published in the May 2012 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, reports a synergistic interaction between computer activities and moderate exercise in “protecting” ...
Keyword Search Pros Helps Companies Manage Social Media
2012-05-02
The very definition of social media management is to create a comprehensive strategy for reaching out to as wide an online customer base as possible. The online consulting firm Keyword Search Pros has been specializing in this type of marketing campaign since their inception. It's not enough to simply set up a Facebook page or Twitter account and hope that followers will be generated. Instead the Keyword Search Pros staff helps companies assume a proactive stance when it comes to syndicating their brand.
"Every brand or company should have a big picture message ...
Neuro researchers sharpen our understanding of memories
2012-05-02
This press release is available in French.
Scientists now have a better understanding of how precise memories are formed thanks to research led by Prof. Jean-Claude Lacaille of the University of Montreal's Department of Physiology. "In terms of human applications, these findings could help us to better understand memory impairments in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease," Lacaille said. The study looks at the cells in our brains, or neurons, and how they work together as a group to form memories. Chemical receptors at neuron interconnections called synapses ...
FatCat Studios Designs Marketing Materials for NKF's "Rappel for Kidney Health" event
2012-05-02
Valentia Mundell, owner of FatCat Studios, was elated when Kelly Meltzer, Director of Special Events for the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, called upon her and her team to design the logo and supporting materials for the "Rappel for Kidney Health" event. Taking place on Saturday, June 9, 2012, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rappel down the side of the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.
Along with the event logo, FatCat designed the sponsorship materials, event brochure, event poster and both print and online ads. "This is such a worthwhile ...
Garlic compound fights source of food-borne illness better than antibiotics
2012-05-02
PULLMAN, Wash.—Researchers at Washington State University have found that a compound in garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting the Campylobacter bacterium, one of the most common causes of intestinal illness. Their work was recently published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
The discovery opens the door to new treatments for raw and processed meats and food preparation surfaces.
"This work is very exciting to me because it shows that this compound has the potential to reduce disease-causing bacteria in the environment ...
Examination of registered clinical trials suggests weakness in size and methodology of many studies
2012-05-02
CHICAGO – Clinical studies registered in clinicaltrials.gov between 2007-2010 are dominated by small, single-center trials and contain significant heterogeneity (different in nature, difficult to compare) in methodological approaches, including the use of randomization, blinding, and data monitoring committees, according to a study in the May 2 issue of JAMA.
"Clinical trials are the central means by which preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies are evaluated, but the U.S. clinical trials enterprise has been marked by debate regarding funding priorities for ...
The Quaker School at Horsham (TQS) Hosted Learning Fair on April 27, 2012
2012-05-02
During this exciting event, the children of the Quaker School at Horsham became the teachers for a day, leading demonstrations and simulations to educate their parents, grandparents and other visitors. Guests learned how this very different school provides the support necessary to gently guide the students to learn to live with their differences, and to thrive as distinct individuals, with passionate interests and well developed skills.
In a science fair style setting, each homeroom set up a "lab" to demonstrate different learning exceptionalities, resources, ...