What do SA want and need of midwives and how do we reach that? Elgonda Bekker President, Society of Midwives of South Africa

A midwife is a midwife is a midwife…

MIDWIVES STRIVING TO SUSTAIN QUALITY AND HUMANE MIDWIFERY CARE 1.) Strengthening strategies to end maternal and child mortalities. 2.) Competency based midwifery education: are we birthing quantity or quality? 3.) Empowering midwives in human rights to enable respectful care.

ICM definition of the Midwife A midwife is a person who has successfully completed a midwifery education programme that is duly recognized in the country where it is located. Based on the ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice and Framework of the ICM Global Standards for Midwifery Education Acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed Practice midwifery and use the title ‘midwife’; and who demonstrates competency in the practice of midwifery.

Scope of Practice The midwife is recognised as a responsible and accountable professional who works in partnership with women Give the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, to conduct births on the midwife’s own responsibility Provide care for the newborn and the infant. This care includes preventative measures, The promotion of normal birth, The detection of complications in mother and child, The accessing of medical care or other appropriate assistance and the carrying out of emergency measures.

The midwife has an important task in health counselling and education, not only for the woman, but also within the family and the community. This work should involve antenatal education and preparation for parenthood and may extend to women’s health, sexual or reproductive health and child care. A midwife may practise in any setting including the home, community, hospitals, clinics or health units.

Position paper 2016 Recognises and requires that competencies for the practice of midwifery, based upon the ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice (2010), are defined locally, in keeping with the needs of individuals/families and the area of the world where the midwife is practising. Supports and requires that these essential competencies for midwifery practice be included in the design and implementation of midwifery curricula. Mandates that a standardized and uniform curriculum should be developed for SA to provide the opportunity for all students to acquire the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours necessary to enable the midwife to practise to the full extent of her role as identified within the ICM Definition of the Midwife (2011).

Recognises and supports multiple routes of entry into midwifery that result in a variety of educational programmes, based on the ICM Global Standards for Midwifery Education (2011). Recognises and requires that midwifery educators be safe and current in their theory and clinical practice according to ICM standards and WHO recommendations. Recognises the vital role that continuing education plays in the safety and currency of an individual's midwifery practice. It support continuing education updates in keeping with the ethical mandate for advancement of midwifery knowledge and practice as stated in the International Code of Ethics for Midwives (2014).