Looking toward 2030: Strengthening midwifery education through regional partnerships

Abstract

AimsThe purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of a regional capacity‐building project between Thailand and Laos that supports the United Nation's sustainable development goal 3 through midwifery education.DesignDiscussion paper based on an exemplar.Data SourcesThe International Confederation of Midwifery's standards of midwifery education and World Health Organization midwifery educator core competencies provided the framework for capacity‐building of Lao midwifery educators.Implications for nursing: Knowledge gained from this 2‐year project (October 2015–November 2017) increased the teaching confidence of midwifery educators while linking international standards and competencies to curriculum revision. In addition, capacity‐building projects based on a needs assessment and implementation from regional partners may result in policy changes at the local and national level.ConclusionPartnerships are essential to meeting the sustainable development goals. These regional partnerships may be highly effective in creating sustainable capacity‐building projects.ImpactMaternal mortality and preventing deaths of children under 5 years old continues to be a challenge across the globe despite progress made in recent years. Progress toward sustainable development goal 3, requires efforts addressed in sustainable development goal17, partnership. Laos has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Southeast Asia. A project to increase capacity of midwifery educators demonstrated the benefit of regional partnerships in Laos to have an impact on sustainable development goal 3 ultimately improving maternal outcomes throughout the country.Partnerships especially those between countries in the same region, are crucial to the success of meeting the sustainable development goals.

Challenges of health and well-being in the world according to SDG indicators

“…Not only has the pandemic delayed SDG advancement in general, but it has also amplified spatial imbalances in achieving progress 24 . Currently it can be seen that low-and medium-income countries suffer from the lack of international financing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 25 , and specifically for the The data analyzed in this study show how the least developed economies (worldwide, and specifically in the Americas) still face challenges in terms of controlling diseases and causes of death not associated with the pandemic, and which affect the well-being and health of their populations. For example, teen pregnancies; maternal 26 , neonatal, and children under-5 mortality rates; or adult mortality rates due to traffic accidents, air pollution, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or the incidence of tuberculosis, continue to be challenges for lower-income countries.…”

Desafíos de salud y bienestar en el mundo según indicadores ODS

“…La pandemia no solo ha retrasado el avance de los ODS en general, sino que también ha amplificado los desequilibrios espaciales para lograr el progreso 24 . Actualmente se visualiza que las naciones de bajos y medianos ingresos sufren la falta de financiamiento internacional para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible 25 , y específicamente en las metas ODS de salud, se hace necesario minimizar las inequidades estructurales globales.…”