VOA标准英语2012--Nigerian Midwives Improve Rural Healthcare

Nigerian Midwives Improve Rural Healthcare

 

Maternal¹ healthcare is improving in rural Nigeria thanks to a program to expand the use of midwives. The program could serve as a model for other developing countries.

It’s called the Midwife Service Scheme and it’s a year old. National Coordinator² Dr. Ugo Okoli said the program takes advantage of a large pool of skilled women.

“Nigeria actually has a lot of midwives on its register. So when you go to the Nursing and Midwifery Council - where the midwives register, get their licensing³ and all that – they actually do have quite a number of midwives registered there. But the issue we have is where are they working?”

Most were not working in rural areas.

“A lot of them actually work in the city centers, in general hospitals, in teaching hospitals. While not a lot of them are working in the rural areas – the primary healthcare centers where we actually need them,” she said.

Dr. Okoli said the concentration of midwives in urban areas meant rural pregnant women were not receiving the best care.

“The problem is we end up having a cadre of workers that we call community health workers, community health practitioners⁴, who are not as well trained as midwives in terms of providing antenatal care and delivery. So you end up seeing quite a high number of risky⁵ births in most of these rural areas and actually having a high maternal mortality rate as well in the rural areas,” she said.

The midwives taking rural jobs are not leaving midwifery jobs in cities vacant.

Okoli said, “These midwives are midwives that are unemployed⁶ and then also midwives that are retired⁷, but still able to provide services. And also midwives that have done a basic midwifery course for 3 years, but they actually need to do a one year compulsory⁸ service to get their license⁹.”

She said a year after the start of the pilot project, the program is bigger than ever. Millions of dollars in funding comes from the federal government’s oil subsidy¹⁰ reinvestment fund.

“We’ve actually signed a memorandum¹¹ of understanding with each state government that they contribute to the pay of these, and then to contribute to finding accommodation for these midwives. And basically, generally, looking after them. And also begin to think of expanding beyond where we are now in their state,” she said.

She added that midwives in the program are happy they’re contributing to Nigeria’s development. As for the pregnant women in their care, Dr. Okoli said they are much more likely to have a safe delivery for themselves and their babies.

More on the Midwife Service Scheme can be found in PloS Medicine.

1 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

2 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

3 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

4 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

6 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

9 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

10 subsidy   

n.补助金，津贴

参考例句：

• The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
• The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。

11 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。