Midwifery pioneer dies

Mary Vella Bondin, a pioneer in midwifery, died yesterday at the age of 76, 14 years after having been bestowed with the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika in recognition of her service to the nation.

Ms Vella Bondin was trained as a midwife while she was a nun within the Dominican Order at Hammersmith Hospital and South London Hospital in the UK. On her return, she was sent to the newly opened St Catherine's Hospital in Attard, where she established and organised the Obstetric Unit.

During her time running the unit, the hospital became one of the most efficient and renowned on the island, with deliveries peaking to average 1,000 annually and no maternal mortality.

After leaving the order for personal reasons, she went on to work in Sheffield, in the Northern General Hospital's Obstetrics Department. She returned to Malta in 1971 to join the Health Department as a staff midwife at St Luke's Hospital.

After becoming the first Maltese to obtain the Midwifery Teachers Diploma from the UK, she was in charge of the government's Midwifery School between 1974 and 1993 when she reached retirement age. In 1974, she founded the Midwives Association of Malta and remained its president until January 1, 1991.

An inspiring and dedicated teacher of vision, she trained many of the leading midwives now practising, the majority of them holding important posts in public health and the University of Malta. She succeeded in raising the profession of the Maltese midwife to a level compatible with that of leading European nations. She was also appointed for many years a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Board.