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Dodgy sponsorship of midwifery events

The issue of what is appropriate sponsorship for events has come up, in relation to a group seeking help to fund an event I may be involved with. I asked this group if they would be careful when seeking funding and advised that I would not be prepared to attend any event where baby formula (or its gadgetry) would be advertised.

Some years ago now, I was caught out on this issue in the UK. A Branch of the Royal College of Midwives had arranged an Active Birth study day and when I arrived, I found to my horror, that beside the registration desk was a large display and handouts about a specific brand of baby formula. There were similar tables of advertising material from other companies in the entrance area as well.

I took the organiser aside and explained my dilemma: although I had come a long way to present the program, and the participants were similarly well travelled, I would never have been involved at all had I known that such sponsorship would be used to underwrite the event. The organiser was very surprised. She explained the RCM often used such companies to help defray costs and this was an “acceptable practice” as far as she knew.

She was a midwife herself, but was not familiar with the WHO Code. When I pointed out that it was the bottle feeding women who ultimately would be paying for the company’s largesse and the midwives’ refreshments, she said that she had never thought about this bigger picture, and was surprised by it.

On that occasion there was little I could do but compromise. I stated to the group that I did not support the products being advertised, nor the position of the RCM in inviting such involvement from these companies. I also stayed well away from their tables, but made sure that they heard the conversation that I had with the organiser.

I suspect that the midwives in the group were not bothered - breastfeeding rates in the UK are the worst in Europe and I think the group members were just happy to have had a cheaper program and free refreshments. The bigger picture and the motivations of multinational corporations in co-opting health professionals is an issue that is often overlooked as a matter of expediency.

Posted by andrea at December 14, 2004 06:46 AM