A team of Fijian midwives have completed their final week in Vanuatu this week, helping in the busy maternity ward at Vila Central Hospital (VCH), where they supported a small staff stretched thin since Cyclone Pam hit more than two months ago. The midwives were brought in by the Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and funding from the UNFPA.
Since arriving, the visiting midwives have been assisting their local counterparts to cover the maternity unit 24 hours.
“It’s been a pleasure to have the Fijian midwives here,” said local midwife Ms Janet Philips. “It’s given the local staff a chance to recover after working 12-hour shifts every day since the cyclone. They are even starting to understand and use words in Bislama.”
Out of the near 8,000 babies born in Vanuatu per year, about 300 are born at VCH every month. Despite a significant increase from 200 per month just five years ago, the number of midwives, nurses and ward space remain limited, putting huge pressure on the maternity unit.
"It's an ongoing issue but also with the cyclone some of the staff have been on leave repairing their houses,” said Dr Richard Leona, the hospital's Medical Superintendent. “Most of our midwives here are also on the age of retiring so that need has become prominent after the cyclone."
In addition to providing daily maternity care services, the midwives have spotted opportunities for improving quality of care for patients and making things better for the staff. The visiting midwives noted several bottlenecks, including understaffing, limited space in the maternity ward for mothers and their babies, and uncontrolled visitation.
“There is a real need to put in place nursing standards so that staff are accountable for the services they provide in every shift,” said Sister Karalaini Macanawai, a representative of the team. “We want to help ensure there is continuity of care and ensure there is minimal risk of complications following our assignment.”
Having completed their final week, the visiting midwives have submitted their recommendations to the Ministry of Health and UNFPA for improving staff conditions in the maternity unit and the quality of care for mothers and their newborns.