Midwifery schools get neonatal help from TTAM

The schools of midwifery located at Port-of-Spain and San Fernando hospitals yesterday received educational medical equipment from the TT Association of Midwives (TTAM). Venus Mark, public relations officer for the association, said the gesture was prompted by the need for visual aids at the schools. Mark said purchase of the items was possible through the Columbia University award, which she received at the midwives conference in Vienna. The award is monetary. Health Minister John Rahael received the equipment on behalf of the schools at a brief handing over ceremony at the Ministry, Park Street. He said proper training of nurses and midwives was important to the Ministry and the equipment would help advance midwifery students. 

The Health Ministry has been educating midwives for the past 60 years. Rahael used the opportunity to announce that TT’s missions in the UK, US and Canada had received “a number of enquiries” from retired nurses willing to return home to work. Rahael said the Ministry would like to move forward with the plan to recruit retirees from abroad. It is one of the initiatives to alleviate the chronic nursing shortage at the nation’s public health facilities. The visual aids donated by TTAM included two mock placentae with cords attached and one movable bone pelvis to teach conception, birth and delivery. The visual aids for student midwives included charts showing pregnancy to birth, the male and female reproductive systems. Teaching  neonatal resuscitation will be assisted with three resuscitation dolls and one neonate portable simulator embu bag.