Good news is on the horizon for maternal care in San Miguel! The Centro para los Adolescentes de San Miguel de Allende (CASA) – that’s the Center for Adolescents of San Miguel de Allende – is looking to breathe new life into its clinic, which has been closed for the past three years. Their big plan? To transform it into the very first Center of Excellence in Traditional and Professional Midwifery. Pretty cool, huh?
This exciting development got a major boost at a recent gathering called “Guardians of Life,” which brought together 85 indigenous midwives from all over Mexico right here in San Miguel. At the meeting, CASA shared its vision to reopen the clinic and provide comprehensive care for women.
For over 25 years, CASA’s clinic was a vital resource, assisting in around 11,000 births with a remarkably low cesarean rate of just 16%, all while meeting top-notch quality standards. Sadly, it had to close its doors back in 2002 due to a lack of specific regulations for its operation.
But things are looking up thanks to the recent approval of the Official Mexican Standard 020 (NOM-020-SSA-2025) and a change to Article 2 of the Mexican Constitution. This reform recognizes indigenous peoples as subjects of law and emphasizes the importance of traditional medicine as cultural heritage. This means CASA’s dream of reopening as a primary care center with universal access is closer than ever.
Before wrapping up their national meeting at CASA, the indigenous midwives held a purification ceremony for the building that used to house the clinic. This symbolic act paves the way for the reopening project, which has some ambitious goals.
The center aims to offer a wide range of services, blending traditional medicine, complementary and alternative therapies, and biomedical treatments. They also plan to offer clinical rotations in midwifery for students and public health professionals, along with ongoing education programs and workshops open to the public. The idea is to highlight the value of diverse health practices and beliefs, bringing back the original spirit of CASA, which made history almost 30 years ago by opening the country’s first midwifery school. Talk about coming full circle!
Some interesting facts:
- Before it closed, CASA’s hospital saw between 10,000 and 15,000 people each year.
- There are currently around 105 active midwives in the state of Guanajuato, according to the state health department.
The indigenous midwives who participated in the “Guardians of Life” meeting also put together a document with 20 key requests for President Claudia Sheinbaum regarding the implementation of the new Standard 020, which officially recognizes and regulates their work. These requests include campaigns to raise awareness about the value of midwifery, training for healthcare and civil registry personnel on the rights of indigenous communities, and the creation of job opportunities and fair wages for midwives.
Carmen Álvarez, head of the INPI (National Institute of Indigenous Peoples) representation office, emphasized the importance of recognizing the knowledge of midwives and implementing the new standard with input from the communities themselves. Miguel Ángel Herrera, director of Traditional Medicine and Intercultural Development, assured the midwives that their requests are being taken seriously as part of the National Development Plan.
Lucero Tapia from the National Center for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health stated that work on implementing the Standard 020 will begin within 15 days and acknowledged CASA’s crucial role in the standard’s creation.
Federal authorities agreed that it’s time to revitalize midwifery, noting that the number of midwives in the country has drastically decreased from 70,000 forty years ago to only about 15,000 today, a decline they attribute to misguided public policies.
This is fantastic news for San Miguel and for the future of respectful and comprehensive maternal care. CASA’s vision to become a Center of Excellence in Traditional and Professional Midwifery could be a game-changer, honoring ancestral knowledge while providing quality healthcare for our community. Let’s keep an eye on this exciting development! 🤰🌿
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