Related
What's holding back Ghana's progress in reducing maternal mortality
Paul Mensah 6 Jul 2015
From the Aurora Cricket Club to Mbalula
Ed Herbst 15 Apr 2014
Midwife burnout poses threat to reducing maternal mortality
Midwives are overworked and underpaid, but a study focusing on midwifery will be a vital tool in helping to tackle the problems.
Malawi has an insufficient number of midwives, so staff work long hours and have few breaks. Photograph: White Ribbon Alliance /Maternal Mortality Campaign
An innovative UN Population Fund (UNFPA) report launched on Monday, The State of the World's Midwifery, focuses much needed attention on service providers, and will help to achieve millennium development goals (MDGs) 4 and 5.
A recent paper on maternal health staff in a district referral hospital in Malawi concluded that burnout appears to be common among those providing antenatal, delivery and postnatal health services. Of the 101 participants, nearly three-quarters (72%) reported emotional exhaustion, more than one-third (43%) reported de-personalisation and three-quarters (74%) experienced reduced personal accomplishment. Read on.
