Phan Thi Hanh, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Midwives (Photo: baogiaothong.vn)
Swedish Ambassador Camilla Mellander remarked at the award ceremony that Phan Thi Hanh was a great role model in this regard.
According to Prof. Nguyen Viet Tien, Vice Minister of Health, midwives are one of the most critical human resources of the health system in Vietnam.
"Over the years, the Association of Midwives under the leadership of Mrs Phan Thi Hanh has implemented many projects focusing on the health development for poor women and children in the underserved areas of Vietnam," Tien stressed. "The association has also organised training and retraining for midwives working in isolated areas to update their knowledge and skills on midwifery. Hanh’s active role, determination and commitment have been instrumental in that process. "
Speaking at the ceremony, Hanh said: “I feel really privileged to have found work that I am passionate about and that it is being recognised. I am very pleased and humbled to have been chosen for this award and am reminded of the unique and varied contributions of every single midwife in our amazing community and of all of those who, in various and silent ways, support the work we do.”
The “Midwives4all” campaign is part of the global awareness campaign with the same name, launched in 2015 by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign affairs with the aim to increase the number of midwives around the globe. The award is presented by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, together with the Swedish Embassy in Hanoi and the International Confederation of Midwives.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals have now come into effect and the ambitions are high: by 2030, the maternal mortality rate is to be decreased by half. In co-operation with the International Confederation of Midwives, we are stepping up our efforts accordingly.
Although maternal and infant mortality rates have dropped by half since 1990, about 800 women still die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications around the world every day. Of these, 99 percent are women and girls in developing countries. Nearly 3 million newborns die each year and 2.6 million babies are still-born.