Read what health professionals working at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (Sierra Leone) have to say
Sister Cole
10 years experience at PCMH
"We seldomly get normal cases here. Most are emergency cases […] The fact that Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world m
akes me very sad. As a woman myself I don’t think it’s right for a woman to go through pregnancy and not to survive it. I have given birth to three of my own children and delivered countless others. But I’ve seen too many women and children die needlessly. We must work hard to reduce the rate by providing proper antenatal care and education […] We need to train more qualified midwives, especially in the rural areas, and generally we need to reduce poverty."
Sister Ivy Conteh
A sister at the hospital since 2001 (previously in the provinces) heads the Eclampsia ward.
"Eclampsia is a major cause of death in pregnancy and still births but it is easily treated if diagnosed early. Prenatal care and monitoring would significantly reduce deaths from this condition."
Doctor Prince Masuba
Medical Officer at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH)
"In my opinion the reason why maternal mortality is so high in Sierra Leone is two fold: lack of proper antenatal care and general poverty.
Most women do not come to hospital to deliver their babies. Instead they have them at home or in the care of a traditional birth attendant, often an older woman in the community who hasn’t had proper medical training who acts as the midwife. If there are complications during the delivery, such as an obstructed birth or heavy bleeding, it will often result in death of the mother and / or the child. […]
If antenatal care was provided and women were educated on why it was important to attend the sessions throughout their pregnancy the maternal mortality rate could be significantly reduced. Many of the complications […] are preventable with proper monitoring and hospital facilities. […]
The government does not supply the hospital with enough money to run the hospital so it has to charge for the services it provides. But people can’t afford to pay the fees so they don’t come. Buy the time they’ve raised sufficient funds, [through borrowing heavily in their communities], it’s often too late for us to do anything for them. […]
I feel bad, as a doctor, to have to turn people who can’t afford treatment away, but I have no choice? Sometimes we (doctors) will spend our own money to provide treatment for the poorest and most destitute cases but we cannot do that all they time."
