Day: July 7, 2021

A virtual event conducted by the Ministry of Health (MoH) with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Laos under the theme: “Follow the Data, Invest in Midwives” highlights the importance of midwives’ role in saving lives of mothers and babies and the needs for investment in midwives.

The event saw participants from MoH, the Lao Association of Midwives (LAMs), the Lao Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, including midwives, midwifery students, and development partners.

Midwives play a vital role in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health (SRMNAH).

They are essential providers of life-saving services for mothers and their newborns, including primary health care for women and girls, contributing to the prevention of maternal and newborn deaths. Globally, midwives save millions of lives each year.

Dr Chanthanorm Manithip, Acting dean cabinet officer of the Ministry of Health said “The international midwifery day celebration in the Lao PDR is a significant event that demonstrates the government party’s commitment to increasing attention to the health of Lao women, particularly in the areas of sexual, reproductive, maternal, new born, and adolescent health (SRMNAH).

Seeking support from leaders at all levels, from central and district authorities, to be more receptive and to assist individuals, families, and communities realize the importance of maintaining maternal and child health. Convincing husbands and families to accept women’s decision to take care of their own health, including family planning.”

The government has made significant progress over the past years. With support from UNFPA, more than 1,500 midwives have been trained and deployed across the country. Midwives have contributed to maternal health care improvement such as safe pregnancy and delivery, including access to family planning. According to the UN estimates, maternal mortality has dropped from 544 deaths per 100,000 in 2000 to 185 per 100,000 in 2017.

Challenges posed by COVID-19 to all areas, including the health sector, have led the government to adopt new ways of providing healthcare services and ensure their continuity. With support from UNFPA and partners, innovative approaches have been applied, such as the telehealth initiative to enable continual safe access to health information and services for pregnant women and breastfeeding women.

Despite progress and ongoing efforts, greater investment in midwives is needed. According to the State of the World Midwifery (SoWMY) Report 2021, fully educated, licensed and integrated midwives can deliver about 90% of essential SRMNAH interventions across the life course, yet they account for less than 10% of the global SRMNAH workforce globally.

While the essential SRMNAH interventions in the Lao PDR have improved from 19% in 2014 to 62% as of the latest SoWMy report (2021), only about 12% of midwives are fully trained by international standards.

To reach the targets set by 2030, almost 3,000 more midwives would need to be trained to international standards. Thus, a significant investment in training new midwives and upgrading the roughly 1,500 existing midwifery associate professionals is required.

However, education alone is not sufficient; midwives need to be deployed in adequate numbers and given the means to reach all women, particularly the most marginalized. The SoWMY report indicates four key areas that need to be addressed and invested in midwifery programmes. These include midwifery education and training; health workforce planning, management and regulation, and the work environment; leadership and governance; and service delivery.

Mariam Khan, Country Representative of UNFPA Laos said: “Investing in midwives saves the lives of women and babies, and this year we found out that Laos is among the countries where the impact of midwives could be the highest in the world. In fact, with universal access to midwifery care, about two in every three women and babies dying could be saved.

This is why UNFPA is urging the government and all development partners to invest in midwives. There is a shortage of midwives worldwide, as was made clear by this year’s State of the World’s Midwifery report.

In Laos, to reach the figures needed, 2,000 more midwives need to be deployed and 1,000 of the already deployed midwives need to have their skills and degree upgraded by 2030”

As part of celebrating the day, MoH and UNFPA Laos also conducted a Photo Contest on social media inviting all midwives and midwifery students to participate. The activity served as a platform for the participants to express their thoughts and aspirations towards their future.

Source: Lao News Agency

Forty-four new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded nationwide over the past 24 hours with imported cases numbering 42 and two local transmissions detected in Vientiane Province.

The 42 imported cases included twenty-one in Champassak, 17 in Savannakhet , three in Khammuan and one in Vientiane.

Laos has logged 2,400 cases of Covid-19 since March 2020. This includes 2,081 recoveries and three deaths.

Over 1.55 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 as of Jul 5, 2021. The immunized include 956,535 given first dose and 595,647 given second shot.

The government has an ambitious plan to have 50 % of population vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of 2021. This means that around 3.5 million people of the total 7.16 million people (2019) in the country will be immunized against the deadly disease.

Source: Lao News Agency

The Ministry of Information and Culture (MICT) and the Lao Journalist Association (LJA), together with UNICEF, on Jul 6 held its first orientation workshop on the Guidelines for Media Reporting on Children.

The workshop, held at the National Cultural Hall, was aimed at enhancing Lao media professionals’ understanding of children’s rights and their capacity to ethically report on child rights issues in the country.

The workshop provided an important opportunity for media professionals in the Lao PDR to review and learn more about the media’s role in child rights reporting and the main topics concerning this area, alongside the ethical considerations that need to be accounted for prior to publishing content or reporting on such topics.

“The media plays a vital role in advancing the child rights agenda in the Lao PDR, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has placed children and women at greater risk due to disruptions to key social services. It is thus imperative that the media understands these risks that women and children are facing and is capable of reporting about them in a manner that is both ethical and accurate,” stated Mr. Savankhone Razmountry, the President of the Lao Journalist Association.

In 2005, the Lao Journalist Association under MICT, in collaboration with UNICEF, published a handbook for media professionals entitled “The Media and Children’s Rights” to help guide media professionals, such as journalists and editors, in reporting on stories and news concerning children. The latest Guidelines for Media Reporting on Children disseminated during this workshop was updated based on the 2005 guidelines and is designed to further strengthen media professionals’ understanding of children’s rights and how child rights issues can be reported in news stories as well as print and broadcast media in a manner that protects the rights and dignity of children.

This also includes children’s rights to privacy, which is becoming increasingly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic where people are relying more on digital technology for communication and the rapid dissemination of information.

“I would like to congratulate MICT, and particularly the Lao Journalist Association, for their achievement in developing and disseminating the Guidelines for Media Reporting on Children. UNICEF remains committed to supporting the government in order to promote and realize the rights of every child through further implementation, monitoring and reporting on children and children’s issues,” remarked Ms. Beate Dastel, UNICEF Representative a.i. to the Lao PDR.

The guidelines on the Media and Children’s Rights were developed and produced through the generous support from USAID and the government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia.

Source: Lao News Agency

The southernmost province of Champassak has received medical equipment from Chinese cities Chongqing and Nanning.

The equipment, worth 2 billion Kip (approximately 210,000 US dollars) will be used in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in the province.

The equipment includes 200,000 facial masks, 10,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) from Chongqing and 10,000 facial masks and 200 goggles from Nanning.

In a handover ceremony held on Jul 5, Mr. Vilayvong Boutdakham, Governor of Champassak province and Head of the Provincial Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control expressed on behalf of the authorities and people of Champassak Province thanks to the authorities and people of the two Chinese cities for their generous supports.

Forty-four new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded nationwide over the past 24 hours with imported cases numbering 42 and two local transmissions detected in Vientiane Province.

The 42 imported cases included twenty-one in Champassak, 17 in Savannakhet , three in Khammuan and one in Vientiane.

Source: Lao News Agency