Blog provided by Linda Reed
The BIG (Birthing in the Gambia) Project presented by Dr Barbara Phillips, Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, MCAI (Maternal & Childhealth Advocacy International)
We have now come to the end of the 3 year project and, following a slow start we have achieved a great result, raising £144,539.51 and there may be more to come.
Dr Phillips thanked us for our “amazing generosity and innovation” in raising this money through quizzes, cake sales, the book ‘Tellers of tales’ and other initiatives and told us about the many ways the money will improve the lives of women and infants in the Gambia.
This is a region with limited access to suitable maternity care and has not been able to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals and pre-natal emergencies are not well managed. However, with additional investment, mortality rates during childbirth are falling and so is the incidence of post-partum haemorrhage and fistula and other issues which impact the quality of life for mothers.
In Brikama, the BIG project funded improvements in the local maternity unit. Word of the improvements quickly spread to surrounding villages and the unit became over crowded as women flocked to it to give birth more safely. We have now funded a new 10 bedded labour ward and this very busy, small hospital now handles 20,000 deliveries a year. The next plan for Brikama is a new children’s ward which will also be funded by BIG.
At Essau, across the river we are making further improvements. Previously, emergency cases had to be ferried across the river to go to the capital, Banjul. Many die waiting for this ferry. We have funded the building of a maternity suite with a neo-natal area and a new theatre. This is being staffed by Gambian doctors and they are being trained in obstetric surgery. Midwives are being taught basic treatments and care of new born and premature babies. We are also funding training for traditional birth attendants in the villages so they can recognise emergencies sooner.
In addition, the textbook “International Maternal and Child Healthcare”, written by 100 recognised experts will be given to practitioners in low resource countries (including the Gambia). This is required because internet is either not available or too slow in rural areas.
Finally, we are funding volunteer obstetricians to work with local staff to ensure the training is bedded in and practiced and to provide apprenticeship training for junior doctors and midwives in advanced obstetric procedures. And MCAI will continue to provide support even after the SIGBI funding runs out.
You can see Dr Phillips’ slides used for her presentation
Submitted by Linda Reed, SI Chelmsford
8 November 2014