🔴Healthy & Beauty | The Role of Midwives

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]Just want to thank you. Thank you for doing whatever you're doing. And of course, we know that God has protected you. Thank you for watching Buddha television all the time and all the day because you have fascinating Christian programs that bring you closer to God, but also preach to the bones and actually add on fresh the veins just like in the book of Ezekiel. I really love that chapter 37 so much. Now very important for us is that the health everyone loves to be healthy but the choice matters for you to become and remain healthy. And this is very important. Tonight I want to discuss about midwives. What is the exact role of midwiffrey in Uganda? Because there's a campaign of one million more midwives.

[00:00:49]I mean that the midwives who have are fewer compared to the mothers that are giving birth. For mothers who are watching us of course want to thank you and for the men who are supporting us who are supporting them to watch. We really love you so much because you know maternal child health carries 90% of the nation because remember pregnant mother is a risk mother to almost everything.

[00:01:15]On this very important show, we are streaming live on Google data vision, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter so that you can stream, share your comments, opinions, learning points about midwiffrey roles here in Uganda.

[00:01:29]On this show, I bring to you sister.

[00:01:33]She is a senior midwife from Kawe National Hospital with over 20 years of experience. I know she's going to give us loads of knowledge. and of course how many mothers she has delivered. For example, sister ivory. Please kindly greet our viewers on Google data vision.

[00:01:51]>> Thank you Camar. My name is Eivelyn to Shame, a proud midwife.

[00:01:56]>> Not just a midwife.

[00:01:57]>> Not just a midwife, not just seniority, but I am proud to be a midwife.

[00:02:02]>> Why do you begin with a proud midwife?

[00:02:04]>> Yes. Because some of midwives, some of people are not so happy with their professional.

[00:02:10]>> So when they're that there, they hide what they do. They do not know what they do not want to come to the light and talk about themselves. But I am a proud midwife. I love what I do. I love my mothers. I love my children. I love the family. That's what makes me a proud midwife.

[00:02:28]>> Excellent.

[00:02:30]I am so happy that you're a proud midwife and that means that you really love what you do.

[00:02:36]>> Yeah. There's a new phenomenon on social media that was launched in 2025 around October that says 1 million more midwives to address an urgent global shortage. What does this mean for our viewers?

[00:02:52]>> Thank you so much uh our dear viewers.

[00:02:55]Um thank you for watching us. Thank you for listening to us. 1,000 more midwives would mean that we need more. a thousand more midwives, 1 million, name it, many more. That was not a limit, but many more midwives because um there's shortage.

[00:03:19]Midwives are breaking down because they are few and more mothers are giving birth. So, we need more midwives to come and support. for everything to happen.

[00:03:31]Let it be in the community, let it be everywhere. You would find you need a midwife because they play a very big role.

[00:03:40]From the beginning, even before a mother gets pregnant, you need a midwife. When a mother gets pregnant, you need a midwife. When a mother is giving birth, you need a midwife. Even after giving birth, you need a midwife. Even when you're preparing your children at home, they go to school, you need a midwife.

[00:03:59]So we need midwives everywhere. That is the cry.

[00:04:03]>> Did you say that even before a mother gets pregnant needs a midwife?

[00:04:08]>> Yes.

[00:04:08]>> Let's begin from there. The roles of midwives. Why we should actually need 1 million more midwives in the world?

[00:04:16]>> Okay. Thank you. Before you get pregnant.

[00:04:19]>> Mhm.

[00:04:20]>> Who would want to get pregnant and get sick?

[00:04:24]>> Mhm. So before you get pregnant, a midwife has to ensure that you're fit to be pregnant. Talk about these other diseases that people don't even realize that they're there, but they realize when they get pregnant or they don't even think that they are risk, not until they get pregnant. For example, cle cell disease.

[00:04:45]>> If a mother is a sickler and you get pregnant, you'll get more weaker. So a midwife will tell you not now do like this be healthy first do like this and then you can get pregnant name it um diabetes if a mother is diabetic before she gets pregnant there is a point when you have to get pregnant you don't just get pregnant so a midwife comes in are you healthy to get pregnant >> are you able to make um let me say a good family before you get pregnant. So it begins before getting pregnant that you can be a good mother, you can have a good family, you can actually have health babies.

[00:05:32]>> M is actually concerned because if a person is going to get pregnant, first of all, you have to first identify the person to give you the pregnancy.

[00:05:41]>> Yes, all those ones are inclusive.

[00:05:44]>> Mhm.

[00:05:44]>> Because like I talked about a secl. So if you are a sickler and you get a sickler then that is not nice because you're not going to have health babies.

[00:05:54]>> Okay. So that is when a midwife comes in go for tests. Look for someone go for tests. Camara go for tests. Our viewers >> is this man okay? Okay. What do I mean?

[00:06:08]We have more often looked at only HIV but there are those other conditions.

[00:06:14]There are those other conditions like cle cell.

[00:06:17]>> If you're a sickler, you get a sickler, then just know your babies are not going to be healthy.

[00:06:23]>> Yes. So that is how a midwife is important before conception. Yes.

[00:06:29]>> Wow. Now we've talked about the role of a midwife before you get pregnant.

[00:06:35]Midwife is trying to rally our viewers that before you get pregnant, first of all, whom are you getting pregnancy for?

[00:06:44]you know how prepared are you me I'm interested in finances of course health workers must advise mothers and the people about finance you know money has remained an independent variable poverty has increased I mean money's value has reduced that means that you have to plan adequately enough to be pregnant wow let's go to other points of roles of midwifree before we come to experience For in the last many years you've worked, how many mothers do you think have passed in your hands as a midwife?

[00:07:20]>> Very many, but a year around 500.

[00:07:25]>> A year around 500.

[00:07:26]>> Yeah.

[00:07:28]>> How do you like monitor your mothers? Do you have do you feel how do you feel the gratitude of being a midwife? Because I feel if you make me deliver and you discharge me, our connection has gone.

[00:07:39]How do you get the gratitude that fills you as a proud midwife?

[00:07:43]>> They have named their babies after me. I have very many eins because you know that goes goes >> and because we are here we have different categories of mothers. So they'll prefer taking up the evening. M >> so I have very many evenings after me and that one also makes me more proud.

[00:08:13]>> Wow.

[00:08:14]>> Yeah. So let's go to other roles of midwives here in the country Uganda and of course starting from the hospital you're open to discuss anything related to the roles of midwives. Ah thank you so much roles of midwives like I earlier said that pre conception but even before that we tell mothers what are you supposed to take to prepare you >> to get pregnant to start taking the medication um folic acid that is preconception to eat well >> that is preconception but even after conception come to the hospital go to the hospital where you're going to begin the medication still to make you healthy, to keep you healthy, and to keep the baby healthy right away. The time that you've known that you're pregnant. You don't wait for the 4 months, 6 months, like how mothers say.

[00:09:13]So when you know that you're pregnant, immediately come to the hospital, then you'll meet a midwife. She'll give you the medication. She will tell you more importantly how you're going to live.

[00:09:24]That is what they call the health education. So you talk about the nutrition. I am sure that is your favorite.

[00:09:32]>> Yes. I would be happy to talk about nutrition anytime.

[00:09:36]>> Anytime >> all the day confidence.

[00:09:38]>> We also talk about it. Midwives talk a lot about nutrition because it is also one of the things that mothers need to know when they get pregnant. How are they supposed to feed? How are they supposed to eat? Are there some foods that they don't eat? Are there some foods that they eat? Uh most importantly to keep them healthy.

[00:10:00]>> That is still a midwife. A midwife will still continue with this mother delivery. When the mother is delivering when the mother is giving birth with a midwife, is that delivery normal? Is the baby has the baby reached up to term normally? Do we have anything that will stop this mother from delivering? That is, you know, a midwife. You deliver your baby very well throughout the labor. Even after labor, you still need a midwife. The midwife will ensure that this baby is safe, has gotten immunization, the mother is okay, is not bleeding. Then they'll discharge this mother home still with a midwife even after delivery. Has this mother come back? Did she get family planning from after delivery immediately or this mother needs to come back for family planning? That is also another area whether where our viewers you know tend to skip other family planning. Some of them don't want to know. Some of them have maybe um their experiences. But it is the role of a midwife to ensure that you're safe after delivery and you've gotten family planning. Even after family planning, the mother is discharged home. It is still a role of a midwife. Is the baby home okay? Is the baby how many weeks is she? Did she receive immunization? Is the baby fine in those other six weeks? No. No sickness.

[00:11:34]I mean that is still a midwife. So a midwife throughout is just needed and those are our roles as midwives.

[00:11:44]>> Very important points of discussion. I want us to talk about integration. How do you integrate the roles of midwives into the general um health care service system? For example, when you when you at Kawei in the morning, give us how your routine as a midwife goes in with other health workers. For example, if I'm there, you are there and other doctors. How do we blend our services to one mother?

[00:12:10]>> Oh, thank you. Now you've come to my heart because that's what I do every day.

[00:12:18]>> Yes. When a mother comes, actually the first person to contact is actually a midwife, >> the receptionist. It is also very good for for us to welcome mothers who have come and they do not know even where to begin from. Welcome mothers. Sit them.

[00:12:34]Tell them health education is that that I was talking about. Tell them what they're going to expect.

[00:12:41]>> You've already begun, you know, integrating the mother knowing what she's going to expect throughout the day when she's in the hospital.

[00:12:49]Yeah. So, health education, even asking questions when dealers see your periods, >> what brings you here? That's a midwife.

[00:13:00]It is when they get complications that you take them maybe to the doctors >> to see and also they can give you a take on what you have discussed but it is the first midwife to identify is there any risk >> yeah you take your pressures all that is integration because the mother has come but she does not know what to do but the midwife is guiding so there's also guidance emotional support psychological support and then That physical touch of examining the mothers all that is integration.

[00:13:36]>> Wow. I wanted us to to talk about what are the services that are offered to a first time pregnant mother on the site of a midwife.

[00:13:46]>> Oh, all right. Like um like I've said, what do we do to mothers? We talk to them. That is a health education. We take off blood like I'd mentioned earlier. We take off blood to examine different um investigations for example HIV syphilis hepatitis and those three are mandates if you ever go to the hospital and you're not taking those three mm there's a problem so there must be cphilles hepatitis HIV we do also malaria we look at the blood sugar we look at um how how much is your blood in the body because we know that when a mother is pregnant she has a baby so they are sharing that blood so we want to know how much it is in that you know how much blood does a mother have is it able to support her herself and also the baby so those are the investigations the first time mother must go through or that should receive yes >> excellent now this is a very important discussion for viewers have just joined us. You're most welcome to health and beauty program here. Everyone is there to Google data vision. We bring to you different health experts and tonight we are focusing on the midwifree roles. How best can we shine a light on the midwiffrey care in Uganda. Many mothers have different experiences.

[00:15:16]Men mothers have lots of stories, maybe scandals, bad stories, good stories, successful stories. When they have visited the different hospitals, how do you try to improve the message you get from the public regarding midwifree care?

[00:15:34]>> Um, >> first of all, what do you hear from the community about midway free services?

[00:15:41]>> I've heard a lot.

[00:15:42]>> Mhm. Uh one of them is um their long cues. So apart from the long cues, >> midwives are rude. I've heard that a lot.

[00:15:53]But um we have tried to to suppress, not only suppressing, but we want to to make sure that our users get satisfied.

[00:16:07]So we have put suggestion boxes.

[00:16:11]So mothers give us the feedback. Apart from the suggestion boxes, we have papers which have different questions.

[00:16:20]So when you come and you're a mother, we give you a paper and you read through how the services, how long did you take, what did you like, what didn't you not like, such that we work on them because we want to actually have the best services. We want our mothers to come to the hospital instead of running away from the hospital. So we want to do the things that bring our mothers to the hospital and feedback is very crucial.

[00:16:48]We want to know how they think and so we can improve.

[00:16:53]>> Yeah.

[00:16:54]>> Wow. So talk about couples when it comes to medry. You've left men behind.

[00:17:01]>> You've left men behind.

[00:17:04]>> Talk about men.

[00:17:05]>> Yeah. men's role in midway free.

[00:17:08]>> We have actually not left men behind because from the very beginning without a man you cannot become a mother.

[00:17:17]>> So just like we don't want to we begin with them >> is it right away from home >> where there is a mommy there is a daddy >> unless other circumstances prevail.

[00:17:29]>> Yes. So when they come we want we want more of them. M >> others come and listen to all these health education talks that we make >> but making the men understand them is also a little bit hard. So I want men to come but when they come you know what they tell us.

[00:17:49]>> Mhm.

[00:17:50]>> I am going for work. I have 2 minutes. I have 3 minutes here. So it becomes so hard. So that is why I think men seem to be left behind. But they're not left behind. when they come, we want to work on you very very very fast.

[00:18:06]The first that we can when you come, especially with with a wife. So those are the couples when they come, they're the first people work on not leaving their lands behind, but we also want these men to still go and look for money because we want to believe that they are breadwinners.

[00:18:26]>> Excellent. And of course want to thank you sister I even for sharing the first part of the midree care and how actually you're trying to improve the health care of maternal child here in the country.

[00:18:38]We're going for a short quick break button want to discuss more of the diaras and what you think the ministry and the community can do looking into the community midway care of practice.

[00:18:50]How can we have midwives at home? How can we have painless labor? How can we talk about the you know what you want to hear as the society is transitioning from you know we are now the middle incomes that's actually see you shortly after the quicky break Good day TV transforming your life.

[00:19:41]Amplify your name is in the room.

[00:20:17]William Street, ground floor, room number 31, opposite DFC Bank.

[00:20:35]Life is a race, not against others, but for a purpose greater than yourself.

[00:20:42]Every step you take matters. Every decision you make can change the course of someone else's journey. At Mccareu Gospel Church, we are running a race, too. A race to purchase land next to the church compound so as to expand our parking space and build more infrastructure for God's work. With your purchase of Run Your Race book, authored by our very own pastor Fred Wanti for just 30,000 Ugandan shillings, you're not just buying a book, you're joining the race. All proceeds from the book sale will go toward purchasing the land.

[00:21:24]Together, we can build a legacy that will last for generations. Buy your copy today and let's run the race together.

[00:21:47]Good. Good Day TV transforming your life and thank you for watching good at your vision and beauty program. Once again, I'm Kamara Daniel, your moderator for this health and beauty program. That is every single Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. here at M for Gospel Church. You are located just at Aroagua road you know on those vital when you reach just know you are at our family and we welcome you all the day 24/7. Once again we're talking about midwefree but of course now want to increase the number of midwives across the world. One more million midwives across the world. We want to talk about uh the training of midwives. We go into the committee practice and then we ride the government with sister I with us here at good vision. Take us through the training of a midwife. How can one become a midwife? You could inspire the senior levers here, the senior levers here. Maybe somebody can transition their career. You can even change my career by the way. I'm just you inspire start speaking the requirements. Nic.

[00:23:11]>> Okay. Midway free of course um it is in phases. We have um certificate in midwifree. We have diploma in midwifrey.

[00:23:19]We also have bachelors in midwifrey. We have gone even to masters >> in midwifrey. So you can be a doctor in midwifree.

[00:23:29]>> Mhm.

[00:23:30]>> Yeah. So um certificate you just need smear 4 and then you have passed all the science subjects with credits >> then the other ones which are not sun subjects uh it's usually um an an added advantage but even from the certificate you can go higher and even come to the masters that we are talking about in midway free so that is senior for certificate so a diploma you would have reached senior six and you pass it. Uh you pass the science subjects. Uh what is um a mandate is uh biology, mathematics and chemistry. So you can do a diploma in midwiffrey for the bachelors the same. So you'd have passed with uh two principal passes. You can still go for bachelors in midway free. You go direct from senior 6 you go to direct and all the courses are available all over Uganda. So you should you should not get limited that me I am back there in maybe sing and so I'll not study. So the schools are everywhere and so you could go you do interviews at the interviews they post you and then you begin the course.

[00:24:52]>> Excellent. Let's just talk an estimate rough. How many midwives do you think we have in Uganda in total?

[00:24:59]an estimate of >> um who are practicing who are >> who are practicing not students obviously >> um midwives who are in Uganda 1,000 I'm not so certain >> that's an estim >> but uh I know that we need one more million midwives >> one more million midwives that's the point >> despite the number of midwives >> that are working we need one more million because the work is overwhelming >> whatever the number is we don't seem to be enough now >> why do we celebrate the international midwife and is usually a big day here in the country why and what does it mean >> yes because from the beginning I told you you will not escape a midwife at any point so what's celebration before you give birth, when you're giving birth, after birth, before you even look for a partner, you need a midwife. So, it is worth celebration that we need at any point, you would need a midwife.

[00:26:12]Thank you so much. Kindly take us through the community practice of midwife free. We discussed about it. How can a mother deliver from home? Can we hire midwives to have them in our homes?

[00:26:22]You see we are not in the middle income countries you know and I'm my wife is pregnant I don't want to come to your hospital can you please come home and we do this business I give you your money I would say yes or no because like I said from the beginning this midwife is is is gauging is this mother risky is this mother not risky we don't want to deliver from home because it doesn't have all the things that we And for a mother to deliver for example if I came to deliver your mother at home and at that particular point she needs a theater is there transport to take this mother very quickly to the hospital no so that means I'm going to contribute to the mortalities that we are fighting as as midwives so let's not deliver home because homes are not hospitals let's deliver in the hospitals because they have good setups they have all things that would need in case it goes wrong.

[00:27:26]By the way, when you're delivering a mother, not until the baby comes out that you thank God the baby is out.

[00:27:33]Anything can happen in the middle there when you're monitoring a mother. That is why we call it monitoring. Every step the mother is the midwife is looking at the mother from one step to the other to the other. If they fail there is an option of saving the mother and the baby. So we should not deliver from home.

[00:27:55]>> M so the concept of the community different practice is different.

[00:27:59]>> It's different.

[00:28:00]>> Please talk about it.

[00:28:02]>> Now the communities we only want to identify these mothers >> and we send them >> to the hospital not working on them from the communities. That is we have that is why we have the community based you know people in the villages you identify is this mother pregnant yes please there's a hospital here so they identify the mothers in the community they also identify the hospital so that is how it comes in you identify and refer and actually escort for you to know that this mother has come from the village has come from a community and has reached the hospital to the midwives to the health workers to the doctors that are professional and are good to handle any condition of any kind.

[00:28:56]>> So who identifies these mothers? Let's make this an openended one. Who identify the mothers? How qualified are they?

[00:29:03]Because I'm not certain if we we said we do not have enough midwives. How do we send the midwives that we do not have?

[00:29:11]We send like five to start working in N and identifying the risky mothers to escort to the hospital.

[00:29:18]>> Whom are you working with?

[00:29:20]>> Some other people call them VHTs. You've heard about them. V health teams.

[00:29:25]>> Others call them communitybased health workers.

[00:29:30]>> Mhm. They are trained to do the identification not to work on mothers, not to work on clients, but they identify them and then escort them. They have their roles of identification because they know the community very well. They know where there is a home, where there is a girl who is potentially okay to get pregnant.

[00:29:56]So they live in alerts how many girls are in the village, how many have gotten pregnant in case they come to know that they are pregnant. So those are the people who identify them and then escort them to the health facility since the midwives are few. So those ones help in the uh referring from the community to the hospitals and to the health centers.

[00:30:20]>> Wow. Wow. Thank you so much um sister I for of course teaching us about midwifree and how can somebody become midwife and the real community practice of midwifree but now I want to see what is really actually done in Uganda if we examine for the past five years as a senior midwife and the current uh what is the difference when it comes to maternal maternal mobidity just give us a simple overview view before we can go to another discussion point because we want to see if midwives were a few now we've enhanced the number what is the situation like now and if we enhanced now to one more million midwives could the present change or it's just a number >> um thank you I think that's a very brilliant question you asked me to talk about maybe five years back we used to have a lot of traditional bath attendance. Now that is where the difference comes from. Traditional birth attendants used to deliver our mothers.

[00:31:27]Our mothers would have issues there. So the mortality rate was so high compared to now when these community bal workers and the VHTs have learned that they're not supposed to work on mothers in the community but they bring them to the hospital. So in the hospital the mothers the risks are less because they are trained and they have the facilities to manage their issues or their risks. So the mortality rate has improved.

[00:31:57]Yeah. compared to the last times when we used to base on these traditional birth attendants, you know, delivering mothers. And when we have one more million midwives, we believe the mortality rate will be actually zeroed down because what the community health workers are doing in the community, we are able to reach out to them, do community outreaches and be in their villages instead. and we improve on these mothers health and their babies.

[00:32:29]>> Yeah.

[00:32:30]>> Excellent. What are the challenges that being faced by midwiffrey or midwives away from small number because you begin with that and start shouting employ midwives.

[00:32:44]>> I'll begin with burnout.

[00:32:46]>> Uhhuh. That is the the the the biggest actually. Like I said, one midwife delivering 500 mothers. It's really a lot.

[00:32:59]If if if someone was not born a midwife, I think she would have even run away because um delivering or giving birth alone is a stressful situation. So you a midwife has also to be calm for you to you know deliver appropriately. So burn out is a really cry and that is the cry of the one more million midwives. We want to believe that this ratio can improve from 1 to 500 maybe 1 to 175 that the ministry is recommending.

[00:33:36]We hope it will improve.

[00:33:40]So away from burnout, what other challenges are midwives facing?

[00:33:45]>> We don't have time for ourselves.

[00:33:47]>> Mhm.

[00:33:47]>> The selfareh you know you come from home, you're looking at the midwife. When you go, you're still thinking about the mother that you're delivering.

[00:33:58]>> So you have reached home when you're so tired. You just sleep. You don't have time to think about yourself. You don't have time to maybe give the children.

[00:34:07]And it is routine. A midwife works evening duty, works night duty, works day duty. So you find you don't have time to take care of yourself >> even your husband sometimes. What are other challenges that you'd want us to know so that when we come the hospital?

[00:34:25]Because now you said midwives sometimes they reported to speak rudely >> maybe it could be related to one of the challenges. Maybe I'm already exhausted.

[00:34:35]It's already five. If I'm giving a report and a mother comes in third stage by the time you go to deliver and do all those processes you are really not kind to the mother and yet you want to dress the kindness but the body fails.

[00:34:48]>> Yeah. Please speak about others.

[00:34:52]>> Others of course like I said when we get more midwives all that will be solved because I'll work a few hours maybe 8 hours and I'm working on very few mothers. I have time for them. I interpret their messages and I have time for them. But like for example, you can be there waiting actually talking to one of the mothers and four are still waiting for you. They're calling you here and there. So you do not know whom you have to give the attention to.

[00:35:25]Eventually you end up moving when you have not helped any because all of them need you.

[00:35:31]>> So you don't have time to concentrate on one mother at a time such that you can help each of them. But like I said, we have this suggestion box. So when tomorrow you come and then you have these suggestions, you read through them and then you think through what you can do such that you can improve.

[00:35:54]Excellent. Thank you so much sister and of course viewers who have just joined us. was she talking about midwifree roles and care and how we can improve the midwifree perspective also supporting the mothers who are delivering from all the facilities whether private or public and of course as mothers I know you must be going through a lot you know sometimes when you visit a facility that doesn't have customer care reception that maybe you know has fewer staff you find that you've taken longer than expected and all this goes back to the health worker and we're trying to explore what are those issues that are never said to the public yet they're affecting them. Talk about mental health actually. How's your mental health when you relate it to the work? How do you find your mental health?

[00:36:43]>> Midwives are actually breaking down and silently because despite all those numbers, the community wants the services.

[00:36:53]The health the the facility expects a midwife to work. So you find you have of course we are also human beings we have issues but you'll not bring your issues at work that is what we have forgotten the selfare that I've talked about so we need that time aside if I have a problem do I have where to cry to do I have the person to talk to when you reach home home they expect you're not a midwife so supposed to finish whatever it is >> so mental health >> mhm is is is is getting higher. We don't have where to run to. We don't have where to cry. So mental health is becoming again a problem or even a challenge.

[00:37:37]>> Even a challenge.

[00:37:38]>> Yeah.

[00:37:38]>> Okay. Now what would be your message to the mothers? We want to to want to give a full package to mothers. Those who are intending to be pregnant and those that already pregnant. I think you have different messages for them. They're like five points, five points each. But also looking at the men, please do not leave men in this discussion. And wherever you are speaking, men remain vital. The Bible is clear. Men are the heads of the families. Despite a man earns 1 million, a man earns 500, a man remains the head. So, Sister Iverine, >> um, what I want to tell our viewers that men, you're very important. Like I said from the very beginning, we cannot be mothers when you're not there. But don't leave us alone. escort your mothers to the hospital. We are waiting for you. We actually created another day for for men. Apart from the usual hours that we work on men couples, you come to kawe Thursday at 5, >> we have that time for men who have been busy at work. So they come at 5 and we can still work on them >> with their women >> whether with or not. But when they come with them, we still work on them because we know they have been working. And so we created that hour for for for men who are busy but they can find time around that so they can come and we work on them. We take off the blood and then we check their stand up for men.

[00:39:08]>> Um around we see around 200 mothers and we can have like 15 couples. M >> so that is really a small number but we want to see that number increase. Yeah, because like we said, you're very important. Not only physically, but also giving the mothers money to use.

[00:39:32]>> Yes.

[00:39:32]>> Our mothers, they come, they don't have to eat, they faint in the lines because like the cues are so high, the cues are so long. So the mothers faint because they do not have something to eat. Men, give us money. give your mother's money because you know like we said when mothers get pregnant they're supposed to eat three times you know than how they were eating. So they need that money they need the transport they need the money to use when they come at home and they are so tired do one or two things and then help this mother to also rest so that tomorrow she can wake up when she's you know a little bit energetic to begin another day.

[00:40:15]>> Yeah. So men, don't leave us alone.

[00:40:18]Don't leave your mothers alone. Don't leave your women alone. They still need you throughout labor. When a mother is in labor and the husband is around, actually they tend to be more cooperative when the men have escorted their women. So even in labor, men come.

[00:40:39]>> Now we have found out that men when men are there, the mothers are stronger because they know they are together in the thing.

[00:40:50]Oh, this is interesting. I I was about to say I should is got a pregnant mother. Where would I get a pregnant mother? Please write our mothers to come for it all the time. We are nearing the cross of this very important show and we are giving the key not messages so that our mothers should take serious even those who want to make them pregnant take them serious so that they're not just by the way points but expert points.

[00:41:19]>> Okay. So as we come to the closure, I just want to tell the women out there, our mothers out there that before you get pregnant, please get keen with how you're going to get pregnant and with whom you're going to get pregnant because we want health babies. Everyone would want a health baby. So please come to the hospital and seek in case you want to know anything about the preconception care. What are the medications that you're supposed to use or supposed to take? Even when you get pregnant, what are you supposed to take?

[00:41:51]Because often we get mothers who get babies who have some abnormalities out of taking what they were not meant to take when the pregnancies were very small, especially those first 3 months when a mother is pregnant. You don't take any medication. come to the hospital and then a health worker, a midwife will tell you what you're supposed to take such that we have health babies. Even when you get pregnant, as soon as you get pregnant, please come to the hospital. Don't wait for the 7 months or for the 8 months for you to come to the hospital and you're looking for help. When you get into labor, please come to the hospital.

[00:42:30]Don't deliver in the village. Even when you deliver, ask about family planning.

[00:42:35]How am I supposed to take it? Which one am I supposed to use? How long am I supposed to use? Which one am I supposed to use? Such that we deliver babies by choice, not by chance.

[00:42:50]Yes. Even after that bring back their babies to the hospital. We immunize them such that we can have health families, health country, everything will be healthy when we come to the hospitals because we know we have professionals in the hospital, not anywhere else.

[00:43:09]>> Wow. Wow. Thank you so much, Sister Ivory. Now, let's rally the government.

[00:43:17]What would you like the government to know about this midfree care and of course celebrating the midwives practice here in the country?

[00:43:27]>> Our dear leaders midifree is a key >> the table people >> midwifree is a key. So we should strive to have that 1 million uh one more million uh midwives in addition to what we have. Let's value it because with it everything we believe that we shall improve the maternal health >> like we have been saying right away from any points of the care we need midwives we value them we think about them we care for them as they care for the community as well >> as well want of of course now to talk about other health workers which message do you leave for other health workers.

[00:44:13]the other health workers who see me ah like as a by the way as an auxiliary course as you know when they see in the the healthare system you're like a peripheral you know so we want to ride them to improve their attitude maybe they do not know who a midwife is the strength you hold I was about to say the strength you hold in your two fingers >> of course also other profane everyone is important camera. Everyone is important.

[00:44:45]But we have seen that is more important.

[00:44:51]I don't fail to say that but everyone is important. Every kada is important.

[00:44:56]>> But we want to realize that midway free they are more important because at any point you cannot run away from midway free. Actually even others who are not professional you find they're practicing midwiffrey when they actually do not know that they're practicing midway free.

[00:45:12]So that is how important it is for a midwife to be recognized and celebrated.

[00:45:20]Yes.

[00:45:21]>> Excellent. Before I just forgot about the traditional birth attendance.

[00:45:27]Yes. just talk about them in two minutes and also we highlight why you are restricting mothers to go to the traditional birth attendance and what's the new thing that has come in the midwifree practices and why you would want to emphasize mothers to come to professionals than TBS and TBS also professionals anyway >> they are but um actually there is a time when traditional benants were actually trained to take care of mothers, but because the homes are not well facilitated and the risks are so high that a professional can realize and this TBA cannot realize they are the people that they turned into community based health workers to only refer these mothers not to work on them.

[00:46:25]That is the difference that they would work on them and there were more issues more risks and mothers were dying were having issues because there are no facilities in their homes. There is no theater. If a mother needed to go for theater and also maybe the hygiene all those sorts of things um they let the traditional birth attendants not work on mothers but instead refer them to the professionals.

[00:46:54]M so what is the message for them >> for mothers who still believe in TBS and for TBS themselves first with mothers who still love and would want to deliver from the village because of the money of the transport I didn't prepare for the pregnancy you seem sour I realize when the child was coming out all that >> yeah like um like I said come to the hospital before even conception there's what they call uh birth preparedness they prepare you. So, you're going to look for money. You're going to look for someone who's going to escort you.

[00:47:27]You're going like everything is planned.

[00:47:30]So, when you have the planned delivery, you're not going to end up in the TBA because you do not have transport. And this is where our men come in to support us by giving us that money. Not giving an excuse of ending up in the TBA because you do not have money.

[00:47:48]>> So, come to the hospital right away from the beginning. you move your journey with a midwife.

[00:47:54]>> Wow. Thank you so much. Would you want to have a message for the TBAs?

[00:47:59]>> Yes, TBAs, you're doing a great job. We want to work together. Please, when you identify a mother, bring her to the hospital instead of working on her at your home.

[00:48:11]>> Excellent remarks from sister to shame.

[00:48:14]And of course, I'd like now to have your last remark for us here about medry practice in Uganda. your last message.

[00:48:24]>> Yes, we want to thank you so much who have believed in midwives. Please take away the mentality that midwives are rude. We are changed caders now. We want to welcome you. We want to serve you to your best. Please come. Don't remain in the in the communities because you're fearing. We are approachable anytime, any day.

[00:48:47]>> Thank you so much, Sister. Do you have any regards or messages to your >> um regards to the ministry of health who are still with us binging this u uh campaign of getting the one more million midwives? We want to move with you and we shall be happy when we are in such that we can cut off the stress of overwork and maybe that is how some of us maybe would get ruled because of of the overwork but when we are many we believe that we shall improve our delivery our services.

[00:49:24]>> Excellent. Thank you so much sister I from Kawwa National Hospital. Of course we want to thank your viewers who started with us since this program began of talking about medree and its importance in the healthcare delivery but also we've explored different areas including why you should prepare for pregnancy why you should keep in the midwifrey touch until you deliver and why it is key for a couple to move together as they access the services.

[00:49:53]The need to increase midwifree training and also midwives in practice is really urgent at a global stage and here in the country it must be prioritized. I am Kamar Daniel your presenter. See you next week Wednesday. Take care of yourselves. I really love you.

[00:50:10]>> Bye.