Maternal and Child Health: First Lady expresses support for midwives

The Federation of African Francophone Midwives Associations (FASFAF) is holding its 3rd congress from October 26 to 29, 2022, in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d’Ivoire.

This event brings together midwives from seventeen (17) countries of the french speaking countries in Africa.

This year discussions will focus on: “contribution of midwives to maternal and neonatal health in Francophone Africa: current challenges”. The main objective of this third congress is to provide an opportunity for midwife associations in Francophone Africa to share their experiences and coordinate their actions to meet the 2030 vision . In addition, this congress aims to coordinate the midwives’ actions in order to contribute to the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality.

The opening ceremony of this conclave was placed under the presidency of Mrs. Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire and sponsor of the 3rd congress.

The opening ceremony took place on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at the Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire in Cocody. It witnessed the participation of Mr. Pierre Dimba, Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, Dr. Yaméogo Jean-Marie Vianney, WHO Resident Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, and many other personalities.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 830 women die every day in the world due to complications related to pregnancy or childbirth.

In 2015, 303,000 women died globally, during or after pregnancy or childbirth. And the majority of these deaths occur in developing countries. Faced with these figures, Mrs. Dominique Ouattara, sponsor of this 3rd Congress, welcomed the holding of this conclave. For the wife of the Head of State, this conclave gives the opportunity to midwives of French-speaking Africa to share their experiences and coordinate actions for the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Indeed, for the President of the Children Of Africa Foundation, the 2021 report on the State of Midwifery Practice indicates that “the well-trained, qualified and competent midwife can be the spearhead of this fight”. “I would like to invite you to take advantage of these three days of reflection to engage in a real dialogue on the major challenges, solutions and priority actions necessary to achieve your goals. To this end, you will need to discuss in a transparent manner the role, responsibilities and contribution of each stakeholder, and establish a roadmap that will lead to the full development of the Mother and Child,” advised Mrs. Dominique Ouattara. Also, Mrs. Dominique Ouattara urged the Federation of Midwifery Associations of French-speaking Africa and the Governments to a synergy of action. “I have faith that we can achieve this by intensifying our efforts, and by joining forces for a better synergy of our actions,” she advised.  The wife of the Head of State also recalled that the health and welfare of the population remain a priority for her humanitarian actions.  The First Lady maintained that it is precisely in this perspective that she created the Mother and Child Hospital Dominique Ouattara of Bingerville.

Mrs. Dominique Ouattara concluded by expressing her support and admiration for the midwives in carrying out their noble missions. She also invited them to persevere in their efforts, but also, to surround them to better supervise the parturients at the time of their admission to the maternity.  “You have chosen the most beautiful profession in the world, that of participating in the miracle of life. But we know that your mission is often far from easy. This is why I would like to express my support and thank you for the remarkable work you do every day. I invite you to continue your efforts and to surround our sisters with love, gentleness and kindness, during their pregnancy and childbirth; because giving birth to a child is a wonderful but difficult moment, and your role is decisive in reassuring the future mothers. This is how we will achieve our goals and significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in our countries,” advised Mrs. Dominique Ouattara.

Fighting maternal, neonatal and infant mortality: Côte d’Ivoire’s efforts

Mr. Pierre N’Gou Dimba, Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, took the opportunity to present the progress made by Côte d’Ivoire in the fight against maternal, neonatal and infant mortality. According to the Minister of Health, these efforts have been possible thanks to the synergy of the actions of the Government and the First Lady, with all technical and financial partners, as well as private sector actors. “The maternal mortality rate has dropped from 614 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2012 to 385 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. The neonatal mortality rate fell from 38 to 30 per 1,000 live births over the same period. As for the infant and child mortality rate, it has dropped from 108 to 74 per 1,000 live births over the same period,” he revealed. However, the picture is far from bright in the whole Francophone area. Also, Mr. Pierre N’Gou Dimba welcomed the opportunity to organize this congress. Indeed, for him, the new strategies in connection with the challenges facing midwifery in the FASFAF area will be presented to Mrs. Dominique Ouattara. For the simple reason that she “spares no effort to improve the well-being of Ivorians in particular and Africans who share the French language.

Dr. Jean-Marie Yaméogo Vianney, resident representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Côte d’Ivoire, called for a synergy of action between public authorities and midwives to put an end to maternal and child deaths.

Ms. Franca Cadee, President of the International Confederation of Midwives, denounced the lack of midwives in the world. According to her, there is still a gap of 900,000 midwives in the world to achieve an efficient care of mother and child health.

Mr. Jean-Marc Yacé, Mayor of Cocody, thanked the midwives for their mission to give life.

In turn, Mrs. Diko Fatoumata Maïga, President of the 3rd FASFAF Congress and Héloïde D’Almeida, President of the African Federation of Midwives of French-speaking Africa, set the scene for the activities of this conclave.

Finally, the First Lady offered ten (10) million F CFA to the office of the Federation of African Francophone Midwives Associations.