SERVICES OF THE TRADITIONAL BIRTH ATTENDANTS: HOW RELEVANT IN ACHIEVING MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL 5 ?

The main purpose of this study was to examine the services of the Traditional Birth Attendants and determine how relevant their services were in achieving Goal 5 MDG. This study draws on ethnographic methods of observation and focus group discussions with traditional birth attendants (TBAs), midwives and mothers-in-law/menopausal women. The findings of the study indicate that the traditional birth attendants’ services were in high demand within the communities and there is little evidence from the study that this will change in the near future. The findings also revealed how the sampled TBAs, based in their own homes or churches, use supernatural beliefs to discourage women and their family from obtaining obstetric care from trained professionals. The apparent domination of childbirth by TBAs in the study community made the few existing midwives feel powerless to change the situation. Given the wide acceptance of traditional birth attendants in the study communities, there appears a clear need to train them and to promote their integration and monitoring by existing services, such as those of midwives in the rural communities. There is also need for massive community education on good maternal health practices.