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Off to Iran

Tonight I am heading off to Iran, to present a three day workshop for the Ministry of Health. This trip has taken quite a while to organise, involving joining the United National Consultants list, negotiating the program and then obtaining the necessary Visa (which has taken some doing!).

The plan is to provide some in-service training for those making decisions about maternity care in Iran. I have asked for the group to be primarily midwives, as the primary goal is to encourage the development of skills that may assist in lowering the caesarean section rate. Obstetricians are not much help in this regard, as they are usually behind the rising rates of surgical births and are often very reluctant to change. I have requested that the group consist of midwives, policy makers and midwifery educators and it will be interesting to learn who is in the group and how they work in the Iranian maternity services.

I haven’t much idea of what is happening in the Iranian birth scene, but tomorrow I will visit one of the hospitals, so that should be illuminating. I am hoping I can take some pictures, that I can share with my readers when I get home.

My global roaming facility for the internet is not set up for Iran, so there will be no email or Diary entries from me until I get home to Sydney at Easter. By then I hope to have accumulated a number of entries and I will upload them all, along with some pictures, for you to read.

I have been feeling a bit nervous about travelling to Iran, because I know so little about it, but now I am getting quietly excited, and anticipating an extremely interesting week.

The last two days have been spent with a bunch of midwives and educators from all over Cornwall, exploring teaching skills for prenatal programs, and tomorrow I am Iran, exploring birth in a very foreign land. The wonders of modern travel!

Posted by andrea at April 09, 2006 03:31 AM