National Association of Yemeni Midwives Trained 72 Volunteers
Sana’a / Majed Al-Kuhlani
Translated by: Malak Almakhadi
A training course began today Saturday in the capital Sana’a with community-based care volunteers. The course will been held for a week organized by the National Association of Yemeni Midwives in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and Population.
The course is carried out with the support of the United Nations Office in coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA and it aims to strengthen the capabilities of 72 volunteers to improve the health and nutritional status of mothers and children living in remote areas of the three districts selected “Manakah, Safan and Nihm” in the capital Sana’a. One of its goals is also the ability of delivering health services by the health community volunteers.
The opening ceremony was attended by Dr. Khalid Al Muntassir, the director of General Health and Population in Sana’a Office and the dean of the National Institute for Health Sciences, Dr. Mohammed Abdul Karim Hamiddin. Undersecretary of the Public Health Ministry, Dr. Nasser Al Argli, emphasized for therapeutic medicine sectors the importance of raising the spirit of volunteerism and the humanitarian role they will preform in improving the health status of mothers and children that are under the age of 5, stressing the need to strengthen the necessary skills to enable their services for local communities where they suffer difficulties to access essential health services in light of the extraordinary and harsh conditions Yemen is undergoing.
He praised the significant exerted role by the leadership of the Assembly since its foundation and its interest in the mother and child cases as well as training health midwives in a number of provinces. In addition, it has adopted health and awareness activities that are beneficial to all segments of society, as well as small businesses generating a supportive income for women and graduates of health institutes in the context of remote and disadvantaged areas.
Moreover, Dr. Khaled Al Muntassir, director of General of Health and Population in Sana’a, as well as the dean of the National Institute for Health Sciences, Dr. Mohammed Abdul Karim Hamiddin, gave speeches stressing the importance of taking advantage of such a training course that can promote volunteer capacities in the aspects of health education, providing advisory health services and announcing important health information for the community.
The Chairperson of the National Assembly of Yemeni Midwives, Suad Kassem Saleh, outlined the session program over six days which included a number of theoretical lectures and practical skills regarding community-based care, benefits of family planning, health care for pregnant women, dangerous signs in pregnant women, causes of acute and severe malnutrition among infants and children, the quality of supplementary feeding and exclusive breastfeeding after birth, balanced food for healthy growth and overall good health, personal and public hygiene in the context of family and home, the importance of good nutrition for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, providing them with health rules to ensure food safety and harmful practices that should be avoided for a healthy childhood and maternity.