health
Midwives on Frontline of Childbirth Deaths Crisis Denied Visas for Key Summit
Outcry as experts from African and Asian countries – where mortality is highest – prevented from attending Portugal conference on prevention
TL;DR
- Midwives and experts from countries with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates were denied visas to attend the ICM congress in Lisbon.
- This exclusion prevented key contributors from discussing solutions to avoidable mother and baby deaths.
- Accusations of colonial bias and gender inequity were made against the visa process.
- Midwives like Harriet Akello from Uganda and union leaders from Bangladesh were among those denied entry.
- Portugal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated visa assessments were conducted rigorously and objectively according to Schengen rules.
- Globally, hundreds of thousands of women die in childbirth annually, with the majority of deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
- The ICM highlighted a global shortage of a million midwives needed for safe staffing levels.