East Timor midwives begin five-week study at CQUniversity Mackay

Australia’s northern neighbour is one of the poorest in the world, with shockingly high maternal and infant mortality rates. Now Mackay’s CQUniversity is doing its bit to help dial down the terrible numbers and breathe new life into the country.

For Timor Leste’s Sara Xavier, working as a midwife is not a job but a “vocation”.

The 50-year-old mother is a senior midwife at the national hospital in Dili, her country’s capital, where she witnesses the ‘tragic situation’ battering her fellow parents.

“We are very happy to help mother and baby, but when we lost mother and baby, it is very sad, traumatic,” she said.

“It is a tragic situation faced by parents in East Timor.”

East Timor is one of the world’s poorest nations.

The 1.4m-strong population has a maternal mortality rate of about 142 per 100,000 live births, according to Unicef.

East Timor midwives Sara Xavier (left) and Ana Sores will spend five weeks in Mackay upskilling in nursing. Picture: Duncan Evans

The Institute of Health and Welfare puts the Australian rate at 5.5 per 100,000.

Timor Leste’s infant mortality rates are also dire, with about 42 deaths for every 1000 live births, while Australia records about three deaths per 1000.

Though the numbers are bleak, Mrs Xavier said the trendline was moving in the right direction and her ambition for the future was to reduce the numbers further.

This month she joins with 13 other Timor-Leste midwives and nurses to spend five weeks training at CQUniversity Mackay to upskill in nursing practices.

The program has been organised by Rotary International at a cost of $135,000.

Belinda Jennings, a midwife from Darwin, spent three years working in Timor-Leste and will help deliver the content.

“The end product is to reduce maternal and peri-natal mortality,” she said.

“This five weeks will give them knowledge and skills, a far higher level of knowledge and skills than what they would be able to receive in Timor-Leste, from a developed country perspective, the expectation is that they will go back and implement policy and practice to effect change, to influence the outcomes for mothers and babies.”

Belinda Jennings will help deliver the material to East Timor nurses and midwives at CQUniversity Mackay. Mrs Jennings has extensive experience working in the East Timor health system. Picture: Duncan Evans

Mrs Jennings said the midwives had been selected for their leadership potential and ability to influence government and NGO policy in their home nation.

She noted the healthcare challenge in Timor-Leste went beyond education and intertwined with the country’s substandard road infrastructure, poor nutrition, unreliable electricity and overcrowded facilities.

“The healthcare system is not well resourced,” she said.

Ana Sores, 30, a midwife from Ermera, is “super excited” about the program and said helping others was her “passion”.

“That’s why I am proud to be a midwife to help others,” she said.

“One thing is when I help a mother give birth, because I am still single, I have not experienced their experience, but when I help a mother in their labour, help them to deliver the baby, something that touches my heart, many mothers have complications in their labour, but I can see how they fight to give birth for their children.

“That’s why as a midwife we try to help them and when we are successful to help one mother, for me it is a wonderful thing.”