Al Khor Hospital continually strives to deliver high-quality maternal healthcare services, and this is reflected by their staff committed to the best care and wellbeing of mothers and their babies.
Mariama Lilei Feika, director of Nursing and Midwifery for the Women and Newborn Division at Al Khor Hospital, took part in the global “Midwives in Focus” challenge and was chosen as the winner from participants from countries around the world.
The “Midwives in Focus” initiative aims to address issues affecting midwifery, challenge perceptions, and increase the value placed upon the midwifery profession on a global scale.
Acting chief nursing officer at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Mariam Nooh al-Mutawa, expressed delight at this achievement by a member of the senior nursing and midwifery personnel in the organisation.
 

Mariam Nooh al-Mutawa
“As one of the few senior midwives employed to develop a midwifery-led model of care, Mariama has demonstrated an admirable passion for midwifery services that will help to make a real difference to the maternal health of women and their babies,” she said. “Our vision is to support a highly capable workforce of nurses in Qatar who will help shape the future of our healthcare sector.”
“Qatar has been committed to the global ‘Nursing Now’ principles, a global campaign run in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organisation (WHO), which aims to raise the status and profile of nursing worldwide and empower nurses to take their place at the heart of tackling 21st century health challenges,” al-Mutawa added.
“Nursing Now Qatar, the Qatar chapter of Nursing Now, is the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf region,” she explained. “This international accolade will resonate locally and build on the work we have done to promote the recognition of nurses and midwives as important, licensed healthcare professionals who can work autonomously and collaboratively with other healthcare professionals to deliver high-quality care.”
The Nursing Now Challenge Global Solutions Initiative (NNCGSI) is a global initiative that offers employers, universities and colleges the opportunity to be part of a global movement to support nurses and midwives as leaders, and advocates in health.
In January this year, the NNCGSI, in partnership with John Hopkins Programme for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO), launched the midwifery-themed “Nursing Now Challenge”.
Midwives around the world were challenged to develop a functional solution to a known challenge faced by midwives today, based on one of the four key recommendations in the 'State of the World’s Midwifery' report (SoWMY).
Feika is the director of Nursing and Midwifery for the Women and Newborn Division at Al Khor Hospital and is currently working in an obstetric-led environment where she has established the first midwifery-led vaginal birth after Caesarean section clinic (VBAC).
She leads group antenatal education sessions for women and works in collaboration with other senior midwives to develop midwifery-led initiatives and projects in Qatar.
 

Mohamed al-Jusaiman

Mohamed al-Jusaiman, the HMC's deputy chief of the General Hospitals Group and chief executive of Al Khor Hospital, said that the hospital’s motto is to provide a positive environment for staff to develop themselves professionally and focus on patient-centred care.
“Al Khor Hospital’s leadership team supports dedicated individuals, such as Mariama, to develop services that are designed for the patients and visitors who need them,” he said. “Having one of our team win this international award is gratifying for all and will encourage other young nurses and midwives in Qatar to strive to be one of the best among their peers.”
 

Fatma Mohd A S al-Komah
Fatma Mohd A S al-Komah, assistant executive director of Nursing and Midwifery for Al Khor Hospital, said: “As one of the few senior midwives employed to develop a midwifery-led model of care, Mariama has demonstrated an admirable passion for midwifery services.”
“Her work and that of the team here at Al Khor Hospital help to make a real difference to the maternal health of women and their babies,” she said.
Feika expressed pride to have been selected as the winner of the prestigious Midwives in Focus NNCGSI award: “My passion for midwifery stems from a long tradition in this noble vocation.”
“My mother has been a midwife for many years in Sierra Leone, and I started delivering babies under her supervision as a teenager,” she said. “I have always wanted to make a difference in the lives of childbearing women and women’s health locally, nationally and internationally, and this award is a testimony to the values instilled by my mother and the professional training I have pursued over many years from accredited institutions.”
“I am delighted to be able to apply my knowledge and expertise here in Al Khor Hospital, where the leadership team has been incredibly supportive,” Feika added. “I aim to help promote the role of the midwife as a valuable birthing partner in a woman’s journey through pregnancy, giving birth and the year after birth when families often need practical advice and support in dealing with the often complex experiences of having a baby.”
“I wish to help the next generation of midwives in developing their skills and to raise awareness of the benefits of midwife-led care,” she said.
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