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Forty four students graduated with certificates in midwifery at the first Kadoma General Hospital graduation ceremony at the weekend.
One of the students graduated posthumously. Speaking at the graduation ceremony Director of Nursing in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Mrs Cynthia Chasokela said training of midwives would help the country meet its Millenium Development Goal targets.
“The training of midwives will go a long way in ensuring that as a country we go some way in meeting our Millennium Development Goals number 5 and 6 targets which is to ensure the safe delivery of our children,” she said.
She commended Kadoma General Hospital for successfully implementing the training programmes when they were faced with challenges including unreliable water supplies, staff shortages and dysfunctional laundry facilities.
People in key positions such as those of anaesthetists are being forced to work double shifts for up to three days in a week to make up for the deficit.
Government has frozen the recruitment of new staff citing limited resources.
The hospital has had to deal with intermittent shortage of drugs owing to limited funding.
School of nursing tutor Mrs Edith Ndlovu said if the country produced enough midwives, it would help in reducing neo-natal mortality.
Online Reporter