In an article published on https://www.unfpa.org/news/front-line-midwives-three-reasons-support-th…, UNFPA discusses midwives on the front lines and three reasons to support these humanitarian health workers in the context of a global financial crisis.
Here is an excerpt from this article concerning Haiti:
In Haiti’s capital Post-au-Prince, midwives are dedicated to delivering social services and psychological assistance alongside healthcare. But their ability to do so is constrained by relentless violence, looting and insecurity.
“Sexual violence is being used by gangs as a tool to instill fear and seize control of the bodies of women and girls,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem, noting that many hospitals have been forced to close because they are running out of medicine and staff.
In Port-au-Prince, midwife Naomie Noel is working on a UNFPA project supported by the Global Fund to prevent and screen for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. “Faced with the scourge of HIV and AIDS, we need qualified, multidisciplinary healthcare professionals to provide care and implement far-reaching preventive measures to achieve the goal of zero new infections by 2030,” she explained. “Educating and raising awareness among young people and healthy adults about responsible sexual behaviour is important.”
In this article, UNFPA mentions:
Each year, three quarters of all maternal deaths occur in just 25 countries, the majority of which are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Beset by conflict and climate disasters, most also rely on foreign aid structures to support their health systems – but as humanitarian funding is slashed across the board, life-saving services like those offered in Kyeshero are being severely pared back.
Link to the article:
