Press Release: Graduation of Midwifery Students

Today the first group of trained midwifery students graduated from the Institute of Health Science by the Takeda Healthy Village Project.

These midwives will be deployed to six Family Health Houses established by World Vision Afghanistan to provide health services to vulnerable mothers and children as midwives.

Maternal and child mortality rates in Afghanistan are the highest in the world with 400 maternal deaths per 100,000 pregnant women and 97 deaths per 1,000 live births of child under age 5. (The state of the world’s children 2015, UNICEF)

Takeda Healthy Village Project aims to reduce vulnerability of women to risks related to pregnancy, delivery as well as vulnerability of newborns and children under 5 in remote communities of Herat Province through provision of maternal health care services.

Speaking at the ceremony Dr Tamana Tamana, Director of Herat Public Health Department said, - “Maternal mortality is high in Afghanistan especially in remote areas, but we can reduce it by taking health services to the heart of the communities so that mothers and their children can benefit from health services in the nearest health center. We need approximately another 100 Family Health Houses and we already shared this number with the Ministry of Public Health.”

World Vision Afghanistan, in close partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, has initiated a two-year Midwifery course at the Institute of Health Science in Herat Province.

The trained midwives provide basic health care services such as antenatal and postnatal cares as well as family planning. They also provide delivery services for pregnant mothers. The midwives will continue to improve their skills and the quality of the services with the support of the project team.

Outside of a Family Health House in one of the remote areas of Herat Province 

Dr Ehrary, the Deputy Chancellor for the Institute of Health Science said, - “We are proud to graduate our seventh batches of midwifery students. This would not be possible without World Vision’s support.”

World Vision will graduate18 more midwives next year to provide   quality health services in their communities.