Abstract:

The objective of the fifth Millennium Development Goal is to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters by the year 2015. All 189 member countries of the United Nations were expected to develop their own strategy for implementing this objective. The Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria developed the Midwives Service Scheme in 2009, which mirrored a model earlier conceptualized and published in Tropical Doctor 2007. Since the outset of the Midwives Service Scheme, several economic and health benefits have been realized. These include gainful employment for all newly qualified, unemployed and retired midwives, improvement in the health care delivery to erstwhile medically underserved areas, a yet to be estimated reduction in maternal mortality ratio and a better utilization of the facilities in the primary health care centers.

References:

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