Midwives in the North West Region have pledged to uphold professional integrity and ensure safe deliveries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They took the commitment at the weekend during the celebrations marking the International Day of Midwives.

Celebrated worldwide every May 5, the day was celebrated in Bamenda last Friday as the region welcomed 19 newly recruited midwives into the public service.

Welcoming them into the corps, the Regional Delegate of Public Health for the North West Region, Dr Kingsley Che Nsoh presented to them the context, marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sociopolitical unrest in the Region. With these situations, women and children are more vulnerable and need to be given special attention, Dr Nsoh said.

Presenting the regional indicators to the new midwives, Dr Nsoh said the situation in the region has led to cases where pregnancies are not properly followed up, leading at times to premature births, miscarriages, stillbirths or even leading to the death of women during deliveries.

With research still evolving on the COVID-19, the effects of the pandemic on pregnant women and babies is still not available, Dr Nsoh urged the midwives to be valuable human resources in the fight against the pandemic.