ICM and MKI: midwifery training in joint global HIV/AIDS initiative.World AIDS Day World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38. 2004, on 1 December, was the occasion for the International Confederation of Midwives The International Confederation of Midwives, or ICM, supports and advises associations of midwives. The ICM is an accredited non-governmental organization and works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNFPA, and other organisations worldwide to achieve common (ICM ICM Intercom ICM Integrated Crop Management ICM International Congress of Mathematicians ICM Information Classification and Management ICM Intelligent Contact Management (Cisco) ICM International Creative Management ) and the Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI MKI Mark 1 MKI Medical Knowledge Institute MKI Missing Kids International MKI Mabuchi-Kohno-Imai (multiuser detection scheme) ) launching a joint global AIDS initiative, with work due to start in April 2005. The initiative's overall goal is to prepare midwifery 'trainers of trainers' to develop and implement strategies for the training of midwives and other health workers. The five year programme, officially called 'Promotion of HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support', will have the aim of training, in all, an estimated 100,000 people in 38 countries worldwide. It has been developed by ICM and MKI with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO). A particular emphasis of the programme is the promotion of treatment, care and support for HIV-positive women and their children, as well as prevention of mother-to-child transmission mother-to-child transmission Vertical transmission, see there . The Integrated Management of Adolescent and Adult Infections (IMAI IMAI Inter Media Art Institute (Germany) ), developed by WHO, forms part of the training materials that will be used. At the end of the course the participants, on return to their countries, should be able to: * Develop continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). strategies to address the ongoing strengthening of knowledge, skills and practice in HIV and AIDS * Conduct skill workshops in their countries to train midwives and other health care workers in prevention of the spread of HIV and AIDS as well as counselling, treatment, care and support of women and their infants living with HIV, using the WHO IMAI modules * Identify up-to-date information on HIV and AIDS * Establish follow-up and sustainability procedures used for rolling out the programme in their countries * Produce a localised localised - localisation , measurable action plan. Kathy Herschderfer, Secretary General of the ICM, commented: "In the present global crisis caused by HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome , we see that the most vulnerable groups suffer the most. Midwives throughout the world confront this disease daily in their work, in their communities and in their families and they understand the suffering brought on by HIV/AIDS. 'We welcome this collaboration with MKI because their humanitarian vision combined with the knowledge and experience their leading specialists bring to the project will help provide midwives from our member associations with the additional skills needed to combat HIV/AIDS where it has the greatest impact and where a difference can be made: in the communities of the world.' Developments in the HIV/AIDS field have caused intervention gaps and lack of access to services and treatment for large population groups in afflicted areas. Since midwives are key health workers within communities they can provide care, treatment and education which can be supported and developed. Furthermore, midwives can contribute to the implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals “MDG” redirects here. For other uses, see MDG (disambiguation). The Millennium Development Goals are eight goals that 192 United Nations member states have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015. (MDGs) and to global strategies like the 3 x 5 initiative from WHO, which has been launched to tackle the global health emergency of HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day celebrates process made in the battle against the epidemic and brings into focus remaining challenges. World AIDS Day 2004's focus was on women, girls and HIV/AIDS, with the strap line 'Have you heard me today?' underlining how gender inequality fuels the AIDS epidemic. Women and girls living with HIV must have access to the antiretroviral medicines that will save their lives, said a WHO World AIDS Day statement, proposing that countries set specific national targets for treatment of women and girls and take measures to ensure equitable access to AIDS treatment and support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services . MKI and ICM call upon AIDS and HIV foundations and organisations, and companies as well as individuals to take up this challenge and financially support action related initiatives such as this midwives 'trainers-of-trainers' programme developed by MKI and ICM. ICM website: www.internationalmidwives.org Medical Knowledge institute www.infomki.com MKI press release, Medical Knowledge Institute and ICM launch global midwifery AIDS training programme', 29 November 2004, Amsterdam, the Netherlands WHO press release, November 2004, 'Women and girls need access to AIDS treatment and protection from violence' www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/news/2004 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion