For more than a decade SurfAid has worked in Nias with a hand-up approach to help health workers reduce rates of infant and maternal mortality. Unfortunately, only 61% of mothers still receive antenatal care.
As part of SurfAid’s training in the sub-districts of Hiliduho and Gido, 55 village midwives were taught to use a TeleCTG device that diagnoses fetal well-being through monitoring fetal movement and heart rate and recording the contractions of pregnant women.
It’s an extremely useful tool for both midwives and pregnant women. Midwives gather quality data, detect early risk factors and consult with an Obstetrician and Gynecologist specialist when problems arise during pregnancy.
Additionally, for pregnant women, the TeleCTG device provides quality antenatal care by recognising when pregnancy decision making is delayed or when a mother is delayed to an appointment or delivery due to transportation troubles. The device comes with an application called Midwife Sehati that supports data input of a patient’s medical records, as well as a diagnosis from the device and consultation centre.
It is extremely important to ensure that midwives continue to improve their knowledge, as they are at the forefront of handling community health in the village, and play an enormous role in accelerating maternal and children's health outcomes. The training also provided digital literacy education on the importance of keeping up with the technology that facilitates health improvement.
With the support of the village midwives and devices, the risks of pregnancy can be resolved immediately. Pregnant women can be referred to deliver their babies at the hospital or adequate health facilities quickly so that both mothers and babies have a chance to thrive.
“We are grateful to have received the training from SurfAid, it’s made us more confident caring for pregnant women and their children in our villages,” said one of the midwives.