The Antigua State College’s School of Midwifery Programme, which was inactive for the past three years, has been revived and relocated to the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.

The school, which was led by Laurellyn Williams during its time at ASC, has started teaching the first cohort since January 22, 2024, and will conclude on August 1, 2025.

Previously, midwifery training was integrated into the three-year Registered Nursing (RN) Programme at the Antigua State College.

However, due to the programme’s transition to a bachelor’s degree, midwifery training faced a hiatus.

Subsequently, nursing training was transferred to the UWI FIC, and the Antigua State College’s School of Nursing was dissolved in 2020, with no immediate midwifery training plans.

The revived midwifery training programme has been extended from fifteen to eighteen months, aligning it with global standards and recommendations from the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM).

Currently, eleven nurses from various healthcare sectors, including the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, Fiennes Institute, Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital, and Community Nursing Services, are enrolled in the programme.

Nurses undertaking the training must sign a three-year bond, ensuring their retention in the country after completion.

Upon successful completion of the programme, licensure exams are required for midwifery practice. The Ministry of Health has collaborated with the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) to review and update the midwifery curriculum, aligning it with ICM recommendations, focusing on competency rather than content.

The identified competencies include autonomous practice, facilitating normal birth processes, providing anticipatory guidance, and managing complicated pregnancies.

The ICM, an international organization, sets standards for midwifery education and practice, aiming to ensure globally qualified midwives provide comprehensive sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health services.