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Midwifery in Croatia

There were some midwives in this group who told their side of the story as well. They too were frustrated and sometimes traumatised by what goes on, and some had taken steps to find another way. One group, from Varazdin (north of Zagreb) had evolved a good working relationship with a young Obstetrician and they were providing midwifery care that was humane and more woman centred. Another group on the coast were proud of their hospital where water births and birth stools were commonly used. Some of these midwives had spent time in Amsterdam learning how to facilitate water birth and midwifery care and they were keen to show others in Croatia how this could be done.

Midwifery training in Croatia is very basic. Most go straight from school at age 15 - 16 into a three year course in nursing/midwifery and leave at 18 -19 to take up jobs in hospitals. There they act as handmaidens to the doctors as they have no skills in managing pregnancy or birth on their own. They are not even taught how to undertake a vaginal examination, and have very little practical experience before they graduate. Their final year, which is spent in hospital, is a year of observation, not practical skills training or supervised learnng.

It is illegal for midwives to assist at home births, which is probably wise in these circumstances. Older midwives with many years of hospital based experience may be capable of assisting at a home birth, but it would entail risk for her and the mother, which may be unacceptable.

Croatia will be joining the European Union soon. Once this happens they will be required to comply with many EU Directives. Some of these will benefit midwives and birthing women - the laws relating to discrimination and equal access and equity will apply as well as basic human rights. Midwifery training will have to comply with that in other EU countries and midwives who have worked in other countries will have to be allowed to work in Croatia. This might bring some much needed educational opportunities for Croatian midwives, who now have no chance of learning from seeing different ways of assisting births.

The Croatian Midwives Association is struggling to make any political headway with the hospitals or the Ministry of Health and there is a distinct lack of enthusiasm for change of any sort if it involves the doctors. Once the borders between Croatia nd its neighbours come down and travel becomes easier and more popular, it will open people’s eyes and stimulate much needed change in many areas, For women giving birth in Croatia today, these changes cannot come fast enough.

Here are some scenes from the workshop, held in a gymnasium in Zagreb.

Posted by andrea at March 02, 2007 05:56 AM