Christian Revival Church Association (CRCA), an indigenous body of Christ, in partnership with the First Baptist Church of Arnold and Missouri Baptist Church, will this week embark on a three-day interactive and intensive midwifery training for midwives in Gbarpolu County.
The training, which focuses on helping babies survive (HBS), which is an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is a suite of evidence- based, hands-on training program to reduce neonatal mortality in resource-limited environments.
The HBS began with helping babies breathe neonatal resuscitation techniques that have been shown to reduce neonatal mortality by up to 47%. Helping Babies Survive curriculum includes scientific updates to harmonize with 2015 ILCOR consensus on science with treatment recommendations, and the 2012 WHO basic newborn resuscitation guidelines.
According to the team leader of the twelve-man delegation from the United States of America, Shannon Hamilton, Liberia was selected to conduct the training due to the condition of the country’s environment.
Hamilton said the training addresses the three most common causes of preventable neonatal complications during childbirth, complications from preterm birth and neonatal infections.
The group team leader also noted that the training is designed to change and improve clinical practices across systems of care.
She said the HBS curriculum can be used as stand-alone programs, integrated with one another, or integrated with a country’s existing health infrastructure.
For her part, Yassah Johnson David, CRCA Project Coordinator, praised their developmental counterpart for coming in to address some of the issues confronting Liberia’s healthcare service delivery.
She said about forty midwives in Gbarpolu County are expected to benefit from such training this week.
According to her, the training will be conducted in collaboration with the Gbarpolu County health team and the CRCA international partner.