Wife of the President of the Senate, Mrs. Toyin Saraki has canvassed adequate funding of midwifery education in the country so as to afford nurses and midwives the opportunity for further professional development.

She made the plea yesterday while speaking at the 2015 Annual General Meeting of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) at The Hague, Netherlands.

A statement signed by the Media Office Senate President Bukola Saraki quoted Mrs. Saraki as saying: “There is need to invest more in midwifery education in Nigeria to be able to robustly address challenges in maternal and child delivery services across the country.”

The statement said that Mrs. Saraki stressed that practitioners in the health sector need conducive working environments to help in delivering their expert skills and experiences to patients.

She was quoted as saying: “I have long known the valuable roles that midwives have been playing in changing health outcomes of women and children. This insight has also informed our global advocacy for the increased accessibility, availability, acceptability and quality of midwifery around the world.

“Using our global voice and new consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), seeks to garner further international investment in midwife training, and call for the rapid inclusion of skilled midwives at the heart of government and international policy on maternal and newborn health - particularly, in this pivotal year which will see the finalisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the beginning of a new era in international development.”

While urging the international community not to relent in their support to guarantee vibrant midwifery and nursing services across the globe, the Senate President’s wife pointed out that the task ahead in achieving a healthy lifestyles and promoting quality health services for all at all ages has become imperative.

She disclosed that her NGO, The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), over the years, has channeled efforts and resources towards improving maternal, newborn and child health.

“The long tradition of midwifery services in Nigeria and other parts of Africa require frontline interventions by both governments and other critical stakeholders,” she further stated.

She called for more engagement and commitment in the part of midwives and nurses in the renewed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She also pleaded with governments to look into the issues surrounding the recruitment, retention and renumeration of midwives which according her pose serious challenges to the delivery of efficient healthcare services.

•Photo shows Toyin Saraki.