On 12 December, the Kosovo Midwives Association (KMA) organized the round table “Strengthening the professional role of midwives in Kosovo”, attended by directors of of Health and Social Welfare Departments from different municipalities of Kosovo, members of the Municipal Assembly of Prishtina, representatives of the Institute of Public Health and civil society organizations. The round table was intended to address the initiative of a draft law on the midwifery professional service and midwives role for the health of the population.

During the roundtable, Magbule Elezi, the President of the Kosovo Association of Midwives, called for support from the participants, so that with their institutional and state responsibility and influence they continue their joint commitment in this regard.

“Through health policies, institutional support and professional development we can improve the quality of services and increase the well-being of our women and citizens, as well as improve their lives”, said Ms. Elezi.

Whereas, Besa Baftiu, the Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Health and Social Welfare, said that “As a committee, we have raised concerns about the closure of maternities and we are continuing cooperation with KMA to find a solution for midwives to have the deserved role”.

Further, the Deputy Ombudsperson, Medi Geci, added that “further work needs to be done to promote the role of midwives in relation to the general population, but also within the institution, given that they are professional staff and should be considered as such”.

This roundtable was organized within the initiative “Strengthening the role of midwives’ professional service” supported by the Kosovo Women’s Fund (KWF) and Kosovo Women’s Network (KFG), and funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).