The complications that women experience can be dealt with by the hospital and its staff, if patients arrive on time. However, Ann Van Haver insists that a closer-to-home first line of care should be available. Considering the west coast population, around 1,300 women are expected to give birth each month.
“Around 250 are delivering with us now,” says Van Haver. “So, there are a thousand other deliveries every month somewhere else. And today, this is not in health facilities. And because of that, we see a lot more complications requiring invasive treatments.”
There are many factors working against a woman’s ability to reach a hospital on the west coast; continued displacement from the conflict, many checkpoints along the roads, dire economic conditions, and the need to get formal consent from a male family member for any medical act, including a caesarean section. This leaves expectant mothers with little choice but to deliver in unsafe settings, risking their and their baby’s life.
Fatema*, is 16 years old. She went to the hospital as soon as she thought her labour started, but it wasn’t progressing. She returned home a few hours later, only to then suddenly deliver at home with the help of her mother.
“The delivery went well, and the baby is fine, but I experienced some bleeding afterward,” says Fatema. “In the morning, I returned to the hospital, where I received proper medical care to stop the bleeding. I am happy and relieved that the pain is gone and that I will be discharged soon to meet my baby.”
Fonte original msf.org
