Obstetrics and Childcare

Is the first in Latin America to become accredited as a WHO Collaborating Centre in order to elaborate a Midwifery Model for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Valid for four years, this accreditation brings to light not only the school's academic and caregiving leadership but also its vast sense of social and ethical responsibility towards women and children throughout Latin America. As a WHO-accredited school, it is therefore committed to collaborate in creating midwifery schools in the region, training midwives from different countries and conducting research in partnership in the fields of education and midwifery care with an intercultural approach and respect for a diversity of social realities.

Established in 1834 with the aim of educating midwives and training them to assist during labor and childbirth, this is the second oldest school on the campus. It was established only a year after the School of Medicine, reflecting how relevant the work of its professionals and students has been with respect to the nation's history and development.

Midwives are currently responsible for improving women's health and quality of life during the different stages of their life cycle. They undertake activities related to prevention, promotion, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. They also hold responsibilities in the early supervision and care of newborn babies, engaging in interventions that go beyond the mother-child binomial and extend into a sphere that includes entire families and communities.

Midwifery care includes preventive measures, screening of abnormalities in mother and child, emergency assistance and prompt transfer to a healthcare center. Midwifery professionals are actively involved in a healthcare team that forms part of an integral ethical, legal, and administrative framework.