Medical Knowledge Institute and International Confederation of Midwives launch global midwifery AIDS training program.

• Tenlastelegging: Press Release

Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 29 November 2004--On December 1, World AIDS Day, the Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) launch a global AIDS initiative starting April 2005. The overall goal of the program is to prepare midwifery trainers of trainers to develop and implement strategies for the training of midwives and other health workers. The five year program, officially called "Promotion of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support", will train an estimate number of 100,000 people in 38 countries worldwide. It has been developed by ICM and MKI with technical support of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Included in the program are the promotion of treatment, care and support of HIV positive women and their children and prevention of mother to child transmission. The Integrated Management of Adolescent and Adult Infections (IMAI) developed by WHO form part of the training materials that will be used.

At the end of the course the participants, on return to their countries, should be able to;

* Develop continuing education strategies to address the ongoing strengthening of knowledge, skills and practise in HIV and AIDS.

* Conduct skill workshops in their countries to train midwives and other health care workers in prevention of the spread of HIV and AIDS as well as counselling, treatment, care and support of women and their infants living with HIV, using the WHO IMAI modules.

* Identify up to date information on HIV and AIDS.

* Establish follow up and sustainability procedures used for rolling out the program in their countries.

* Produce a localized, measurable action plan.

Kathy Herschderfer, Secretary General of the International Confederation of Midwives (www.internationalmidwives.org), states: "In the present global crisis caused by HIV/AIDS, we see that the most vulnerable groups suffer the most. Midwives throughout the world confront this disease daily; in their work, in their communities and in their families and understand the suffering brought on by HIV/AIDS. We welcome this collaboration with MKI because their humanitarian vision combined with the knowledge and experience their leading specialists bring to the project will help provide midwives from our member associations with the additional skills needed to combat HIV/AIDS where it has the greatest impact and where a difference can be made: in the communities of the world."

Dutch HIV and AIDS Ambassador, Mrs. Laetitia...