UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Lydia Zigomo (right) and other officials listen as Sally Mugabe Hospital School of Midwifery, Principal Tutor Monica Mukwehwa, explains how the e-learning platform works
BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
Midwifery is an important part of Zimbabwe’s health package, and the advancement of the e-learning platform will go a long way in ensuring mothers survive childbearing and give birth to healthy babies, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Lydia Zigomo has said.
Zigomo who is currently in the country, revealed this on Monday when she toured the Sally Mugabe Hospital School of Midwifery, where the e-learning platform is being implemented.
The e-learning module is currently being implemented by around 200 midwifery students across six provinces.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), midwifery is defined as “skilled, knowledgeable and compassionate care for childbearing women, newborn infants and families across the continuum from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and the early weeks of life.”
“This is part of the Health Resilience Fund and we want to acknowledge all the development partners who are contributing to that fund under the Ministry of Health.
“It was a pleasure to interact with the e-learning modules themselves, to be taken through them by the tutors who are operating the courses as well as to hear from the students, the nursing students who are going through this training.
“Midwifery is still an important part of the health package that is required for Zimbabwe if we are to get on top of maternal deaths and ensure that mothers survive childbearing and also that they give birth to healthy babies,” continued Zigomo.
She added that as the UNFPA, they were also “particularly concerned also to lift the age at which young girls are getting pregnant by reducing the numbers of teen pregnancies in Zimbabwe.
“We think it can be done, we were in meetings with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and SME Development and they are both committed to ensuring that more women and girls’ health is protected in this country.
“So I’m very positive about this e-learning module in particular, I think it can break barriers and ensure consistent standards of training in midwifery practice and learning for nursing students going through the modules around the whole country.
“And we thank the Minister of Health for investing in this and start seeing the positive impact that this could have in Zimbabwe.”
Director Nursing Services, in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Nyaradzai Chiwara said the programme is very important because it was benefitting the midwives who deal with antenatal care, post natal care and the deliveries.
“So when they are taught the correct thing and the current information, they know how to manage a patient in labour.
“They know how to manage a patient who is in antenatal care. “They know how to manage a patient after delivery and even before delivery after care, they can also manage.
“So this e-learning gives them a platform where they can use the internet to do the researches and see if other people or other countries are doing it and also copy.
“And also this program will help all the countries to standardize the program.
“Because without the e-learning, these people can have different contexts, they can have different materials.
“But because of the e-learning, they will be using the same platform. They can have the same things where they can also review these programs, they can also review these materials,” said Chiwara.
Midwifery student, Caroline Mavezera, speaks to journalists on how the e-learning platform has helped with their studies
Caroline Mavezera, one of the midwifery students who is benefitting from the e-learning programme, praised the initiative.
“We have been benefitting a lot since I can access the e-learning portal at my own pace or even in the comfort of my home or in the comfort of the nursing residence.
“We are getting tutorials from the platform, it’s helping since we will be adding onto the information that we would have received from the tutors in class.
This will help me since I will be getting information from different tutors, like I can get information from a tutor in Mat South or some other schools so it will help me to add to what I will have received from the tutors in this school,” Mavezera added.
The e-learning platform, launched by UNFPA and the Ministry of Health and Child Care with support from the Health Resilience Fund (HRF) on June 20, 2024, currently serves six nurse and midwifery training institutions: Sally Mugabe, Chinhoyi, Karanda, St Lukes (Lupane), Masvingo and Mpilo Hospitals.
The advancement of technology and internet availability has created opportunities for educators to utilize Information Communication Technologies to improve educational services. The e-learning platform aims to standardize learning content across all nursing and midwifery schools in Zimbabwe, enhance access to educational materials for students via web and mobile platforms, and foster research and collaboration among students and tutors.
