Two volunteers from the Rotary Club of Taree, NSW, visited the Philippines in August 2024 to provide training in obstetric emergencies.
Over three days, Dr Grace Maano, a Fellow of Australian College of Rural Remote Medicine, and Aisling Carroll, a registered midwife, trained a total of 70 maternity health providers – hopefully saving the lives of mums and babies in the event of emergencies during childbirth.
On August 24, the training was conducted in the town of Tanay, Rizal Province, which is about two hours’ drive from Manila. The training was co-sponsored by the local Rotary Club of Midtown Diliman and coordinated through the Local Government Health Unit.
MAIN PICTURE & PICTURED: Twenty-six maternity staff (mostly midwives and some nurses) from local hospitals under the Provincial Health Office undertook training on day one of the recent obstetric emergencies training program in the Philippines. A further 29 midwives from various Rural Health units attended on day two.
Fifteen participants attended with the majority, if not all, rating the post workshop survey a five out of five in improving their skills and confidence in managing emergencies during childbirth including, but not limited to, postpartum haemorrhage (bleeding), shoulder dystocia (baby’s shoulder stuck), imminent vaginal breech (baby is presenting with bottom first), and newborn resuscitation.
On August 27 and 28, the training was conducted at Quezon Medical Centre in the city of Lucena, Quezon Province, which is three to four hours’ drive south of Manila. The training was co-sponsored by UP Kalilayan Alumni Association (UPKAA), Philippine American Medical Association of Georgia (PAMAG-USA) in cooperation with the local Quezon Provincial Health Office.
Twenty-six maternity staff (mostly midwives and some nurses) from the local hospitals under the Provincial Health Office undertook the training on day one, while 29 midwives from the various Rural Health units around the province attended on day two.
Post workshop feedback was very positive, with most of the training participants feeling less anxious if faced by an obstetric emergency as they had gained confidence and skills by attending the workshop.
This training usually costs AU$2,000 per person in Australia but was provided free for all participants.