MIDCAP: Midwifery Capacity Development Program
The MIDCAP collaboration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo focuses on strengthening midwifery education, research capacity and leadership to improving sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health.
The collaboration brings together Karolinska Institutet, SANRU, the midwifery association SCOSAF, midwifery educators from Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales (ISTM) in Kinshasa, Kongo-Central, Maniema and Kasaï.
Through partnership with Congolese midwifery educators, professional associations and institutions, the programme supports the development of teaching capacity, research skills and midwifery leadership. It also promotes stakeholder dialogue to strengthen coordination, align priorities and support the role of midwives within the health system.
The need to strengthen midwifery education and the midwifery profession in DR Congo is urgent. Maternal and newborn health outcomes remain a major public-health challenge, and previous research has highlighted gaps in midwifery education, regulation and workforce capacity in the country.
By working directly with midwifery educators, SCOSAF, institutional partners and the Ministry of Health, MIDCAP aims to strengthen the integration of evidence-based midwifery education and practice and thus contribute to long-term institutional and health-system capacity. The collaboration supports educators who train future midwives, while also fostering dialogue between education institutions, professional associations, policymakers and health-system actors. In doing so, MIDCAP ensure that midwives are equipped to deliver high-quality, person-centred SRHR services across the life course.