Trip of a lifetime for Bali midwives

More than 25 Indonesian midwives and students visited the Northern Territory, as part of a clinical and cultural exchange program between Charles Darwin University and two midwifery schools on the island of Bali.

CDU staff and students raised $8000, through a Go Fund Me page, to help cover expenses for the midwives to attend the Australian College of Midwives NT Branch conference “Midwifery in a changing world: Women, Birth and Culture”.

Midwifery senior lecturer Angela Bull said the visitors also experienced tours and training at CDU, Royal Darwin Hospital and local childcare centres during their five-day trip.

“They had access to professional development to enable them to continue to address the complex issues around providing woman-centred care in the face of significant perinatal mortality,” she said.

Ms Bull said enabling qualified and student midwives to explore the similarities and differences between Australian and Indonesian midwifery practices enhanced their clinical skills and critical thinking.

“The way Indonesian midwives embed their culture into their practice is an area we can learn from, and we hope to share our practices of evidence-based and woman-centred care with them,” she said.

Cinthya Riris, an instructor and student placement supervisor at the Polytechnic of Health Denpasar, said while most midwifery in Australia was conducted in hospitals, Bali had a high number of private clinics.

“In Bali, midwives work on a range of things, from women’s health and family planning, to child health care up to five years old, while in Australia midwives are dedicated to pre-natal and peri-natal health care,” she said.

“This experience has been interesting; we are thankful to everyone who helped make it possible.”

CDU Midwifery students have travelled to Bali for study experience at Polytechnic of Health Denpasar and Akademi Kebidanan Kartini Bali for the past two years.