Although there is good quality care in Malta, maternity services also need to expand within the community, according to the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN). Locally, it said, women were not able to access midwifery care that provided continuity, although there was strong evidence that those receiving such care are more satisfied with the results.

“Reaching out” is an important part of a midwife’s job, not just to provide care for women who lived a long way from a health facility, but also to overcome other barriers to access. These may be rooted in cultural or linguistic differences, or may be related to the timing, style or affordability of services, the union added.

It was “woman-centred” care that resulted in a healthy outcome for mother and baby and that meant positive action from midwives to ensure that they offered what women wanted.

The MUMN said it was committed to working on the International Confederation of Midwives ideology, with its aim and goal being the provision of universal access to midwifery care for childbearing women, and providing this as close as possible to where the women’s homes.