Health and Wellness > Awareness & Advocacy

MIDWIVES FOR LIVES

JAZZ COMMUNICATION, Bucharest / INDEPENDENT MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION / 2017

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Film

Overview

Credits

Overview

BriefExplanation

IIn the rural areas of Romania, a young couple, is conceiving their first baby. As time goes by, the pregnancy carries on in the solitude of their house, not monitored. Meanwhile, in a corner of their tiny house, we spot the silhouette of a midwife, just standing and watching them as months go by, a silent witness. When the birth moment comes, the women gives birth to a dead baby, while the midwife keeps watching the whole scene without helping, as if her hands were tight back. The movie ends in despair as more and more midwives appear in the room, willing to help the young mom and the baby, but they can't as if they were held back by an invisible force.

BriefWithProjectedOutcomes

All forms of commercial materials regarding healthcare and OTC drugs - educative materials, videos, TV commercials, radio, online, pharmacies materials addressing abroad target are evaluated before airing by the National Agency of Drugs (ANM).

EntrySummary

During communism, the midwife job was abolished as abortions were banned and midwives knew how to do this procedure. Ever since, the midwives have been seen as old women, experts in ancient practices. The definition in the Romanian dictionary is: "old lady assisting a woman when giving birth".

Nowadays, Romania is on the 31st place out of 33 European countries when it comes to the number of midwives per capita: 1.9/1000 inhabitants.

But the real problem of the few Romanian midwives is that their statute has never been reconsidered since communism.They still function as nurses, not having the right to assist a birth or monitor one without a doctor. So, they can't profess the way they could if their statute doesn't change. They can't prevent still births or any other pregnancy problems in a country which is on the first place in infant mortality.

ScriptInEnglish

We are inside a poor, but typical country house in rural Romania. We see a young couple making love. As the image gets wider, we spot a midwife in the same room, watching them. The woman from the couple remains in bed and we spot that now she has a big belly, she's pregnant. The man is looking at her with love, caresses her belly and asks "How's my baby doing?" "Oh, she's so nice and silent!". We go back to the midwife's face almost crying, still sitting there. Time passes and the woman is now in labour. The man calls for help, but the woman gives births unassisted. We here no scream while the young mother yells: "Why isn't she screaming? Why?". The baby is dead. We see a devastated young father and the midwife crying, still not able to interfere. More and more midwives appear in the image trying to help the woman, but they seem to be stopped by some kind of invisible force. The revealing comes together with the call to action: "Scream for the babies who don't! Romania ranks first in stillbirths in Europe, while 1000 professional midwives still don't have a legal status to help mothers and babies. Sign the petition, save lives!"

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