GoSS ministry of Health organized a three-day workshop to enhance human resources for maternal and neonatal survival in an effort to reduce the high maternal mortality rate in south Sudan.
The exercise is meant to evaluate a task-shifting by training of non-physician clinicians for emergency obstetric care in collaboration and with support from UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF and AU.
Talking to SCR news, Alexander H Dimiti, UNFPA national programming officer, explained that more than eighty percent of women give birth outside hospitals under the care of local midwives.
Dr. Dimiti added that the training will cover village community health workers, including local midwives who will get skills on emergency surgery including caesarean surgery.
He said the trained medical officers will contribute to better maternal health since the region is short of medical doctors.
About 100 participants from development partners, researchers and technical experts on maternal health including officials from the GoSS and state Ministries of Health and Clinical training institutions in Southern Sudan are attending the workshop.