Congratulations to Lao from the ICM Asia Pacific Region.

In April 2009, Karen Guilliland, ICM Board Member for the Asia Pacific region, wrote to UK midwife Della Sherratt who is working in the People's Democratic Republic of Lao for UNFPA and had reported that the Lao Ministry of Health will launch a 2-year mid level midwifery education programme in September 2009:

'The ICM sends its warmest greetings and congratulations to the Lao government on the reestablishment of training for midwives. Beginning with the midlevel midwife is a first but very important step in achieving the end goal of having a midwife in every health delivery point in Lao.

'The ICM knows that a well educated midwife is the most effective workforce in reducing maternal and perinatal mortality and congratulates the government on its short and long term policies which will help to achieve this.

'The world's midwives will be celebrating with you as you mark International Midwives Day for the first time. It gives us great encouragement to hear and see support for midwifery in Lao. It helps all of us to try harder to reach the urgent goal of improving the health and lives of the world's mothers, babies and families.'