Boost in midwifery workforce in PNG a positive
In your average Australian hospital, a midwife will attend to 1 or 2 births per eight hour shift. In Papua New Guinea’s Port Morseby hospital, a midwife will help 10 to 12 women give birth. And that’s just the women who are lucky to make it to hospital, 85% of the population live in rural areas.
There is a big need for more midwives in Papua New Guinea, and Florence West is an Australian midwife who has spent time teaching in PNG.
Florence is also a PhD student at the University of Technology, Sydney. Ellen Leabeater spoke to Florence to find out more about what it’s like to be a midwife, and to teach midwives in PNG.
Image: Department of Foreign Affairs on Flickr.
