In the area of adapted health practices. Anja Choon reports in Nigeria Health Watch:
Image via Nigeria Health WatchThe usefulness of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in contemporary times is a highly disputed subject. Many reasons have been given in support of TBAs and many against them.
Supporters argue that a “severe shortage of trained and skilled health workers” is the main cause for poor maternal and child health in Sub-Saharan Africa. They point out that the presence of TBAs with their limited skills is better than birth with no (skilled) person present altogether.
They argue that TBAs can be found in every village and are available around-the-clock to their patients. Thus, TBAs play a crucial role especially in rural areas, where many formally trained health workers do not like to work. In villages, a high number of births are home births attended by TBAs.
Moreover, TBAs belong to the same community as the pregnant women, understand their culture, speak their language, have a personal relationship with the women and are willing to visit the women at their homes. Another advantage is that TBAs tend to be flexible in regard to payment
Opponents say that TBAs have no place in a modern healthcare system. They argue that TBAs endanger the lives of mothers and children, mainly due to their lack of formal training and a failure to refer patients to hospitals when they encounter complex cases...[continue reading]
