DOHA: The pilot postnatal midwifery home care program for new mothers and their babies provided by Women’s Wellness and Research Center (WWRC) will be expanded to all maternity facilities across the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in near future.
The service will be expanded to Al Wakra Hospital, Al Khor Hospital and the Cuban Hospital providing home care to new mothers who experience a normal pregnancy or caesarian delivery, Haila Johar, Executive Director of Nursing at the WWRC told The Peninsula.
“The pilot program started on May 15 to women deliver at the WWRC and live in Doha and Rayyan area. This will continue for six to eight months. Then we will evaluate the service and ultimately it will cover the whole of Qatar,” she said.
“With time all HMC hospitals which has birthing facilities such as the Al Wakrah, Al Khor and Cuban hospital will have a group of people to provide postnatal midwifery home care services,” she added.
The postnatal midwifery home care program provide new mothers and their newborns with health checks, wound care to women who deliver by caesarian, as well as help to overcome difficulties in breast-feeding. It also prevents re-admission and reduces unnecessary visits to the WWRC’s Emergency Department by women who have given birth recently.
“Since the program was launched, we have seen approximately 140 patients. Earlier we had a good number of re-admissions due to either infected wounds or breast engorgement. So until the temperature becomes normal and the mother is ready to breast-feed the baby, they stay in the hospital.
“It can take five days to a week. With the new midwifery home care service, mothers and their babies are examined at home. In case if the mother has any complications, the mobile doctors prescribe antibiotics or other medicines,” said Johar.
“Therefore, after the program was introduced, we are having nearly zero re-admissions,” she added.
The postnatal midwifery home care program has been introduced in line with the National Health Strategy 2018-2022, which emphasises on enhancing midwifery services.
“We started this service to provide complete midwifery services according to the National Health Strategy. We introduced things at different intervals. Now we have started midwives deliver babies. She will be in charge of the delivery and discharge of the patient,” said Johar.
“First home visit will be scheduled within 48 to 72 hours of their delivery. During the visit midwife will examine the mother and baby including if the baby is breast-fed properly. They will check general health of the mother and child. Even if everything is fine we will have a second visit and discharge the patient from home care,” she added.
At present WWRC has a team of six community midwifes who make home care for new mothers and their babies.
