What does healthcare access for women and children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds look like in practice? The Public Defender of Rights also looked for an answer to this question during a visit to the Spišská Nová Ves Hospital, where he familiarized himself with the operation of the Mission 1000 program.
The Mission 1000 program focuses on supporting families from the period of pregnancy and its goal is to strengthen access to quality healthcare, especially for women and children from vulnerable communities, including segregated environments.
The hospital in Spišská Nová Ves is the place where this model of cooperation between the non-profit organization Association for Culture, Education and Communication, which implements the program, and the health system began to develop. It was here that participants had the opportunity to see how it works in practice, how midwives (babice) accompany women during pregnancy, help them navigate the health system and cooperate with medical staff.
The Mission 1000 program is based on the work of midwives, trained field workers who come directly from the environment of the communities in which they operate. Thanks to this, they are able to naturally connect the world of families and institutions, reduce barriers and build trust. Midwives accompany women during pregnancy, support them in contact with the health system and subsequently work with families even after returning home, in childcare, support for healthy habits and stimulation of the child’s development. It is a long-term and systematic work that brings concrete changes in the lives of families and at the same time shows that investment in early support is of fundamental importance for the health of children and the future of the entire community.
“Midwives help create bridges between health professionals and residents from marginalized communities. Their presence in the hospital and in the field significantly contributes to better cooperation and trust,” stated the hospital director MUDr. Renáta Šuláková.
At the same time, the participants visited the children’s and neonatal ward, where they had the opportunity to meet mothers and see concrete situations in which the program helps overcome barriers between families and health care.
The visit opened the topic of healthcare accessibility for vulnerable groups and showed that linking field work with the hospital environment can bring concrete solutions.
“I had the opportunity to get to know the unique Mission 1000 – midwives project. It is an approach that complements healthcare where the system does not cover it by law, but it is of fundamental importance for the health of women and children. It shows that the connection between healthcare and community work, which is provided by the non-profit sector, can bring concrete improvements in practice,” stated the Public Defender of Rights Róbert Dobrovodský.
Part of the visit was also a discussion with the program supervisor Lucia Katreničová, the coordinator of the midwife group Gabriela Morihládková and the midwives themselves, who shared their experiences from daily work with families.
“Work in the hospital is an important part of the midwives’ work for us. It helps patients and health professionals, but at the same time, it helps midwives better understand the situations women return home with. The hospital environment is a space where we meet women in one of the most fragile, most vulnerable moments of their lives. We see their fear, fatigue, joys and uncertainties. And right there, in the middle of it all, something valuable happens: we build trust. Thanks to this, we are able to provide better quality help directly in the communities and be a support for families and children even after leaving the hospital,” added Mission 1000 program supervisor Lucia Katreničová.
