A Curtin midwifery lecturer has worked with Tanzanian health professionals to develop a new national midwifery curriculum.
Anna Bosco of Bassendean was selected by the Global Health Alliance Western Australia (GHAWA) to work with local health professionals to develop the national midwifery curriculum and associated learning materials for educators across the country.
The national midwifery curriculum, which will be launched in September, is grounded in the United Nations Millennium Developmental Goals aimed at reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.
Ms Bosco said it was a great honor to represent Curtin University and GHAWA at the two-week curriculum meeting in Dodoma, the nation’s capital..
“It was wonderful to work collaboratively with a group of academics from a number of universities in Tanzania and with representatives from the Ministry of Health,” Ms Bosco said.
Ms Bosco was also engaged by GHAWA to work with nursing students at the Faculty of Nursing at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University.
Ms Bosco said Tanzanian nursing students faced challenges such as coping with high numbers of pregnant women and tackling the many difficult situations that women experience when giving birth in a developing country.
“Students are trained to expect the unexpected,” Ms Bosco said.
“A great example of this was when a woman came in with undiagnosed twins, which would be unheard of in Australia.
“The twins were birthed without any difficulty and were embraced by their mother, which is a compliment to the high standard of training the students are receiving.
“Teaching issues that I experienced centre around lack of available communication, resources such as books and equipment, access to the internet, technology and access to a constant power supply, which we just take for granted in Australia.
“Access to the internet is critical as it provides a connection to the latest developments in midwifery and nursing across the globe that can be used in practice in Tanzania to make a real difference.”
Curtin University is one of the five WA universities within GHAWA working in partnership with the Department of Health WA to improve maternal and child health in developing countries around the Indian Ocean Rim.
Contact:
Kristy Jones, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 9085, Mobile: 0401 103 877, Email: k.jones@curtin.edu.au
Web: http://curtin.edu.au
