Stories

< back to the Stories page

“A Great Improvement”

I spoke by phone today to one of the midwives at Kofan Gayan hospital. The solar electric system was installed three weeks ago, and I wanted to know whether the lighting and communication upgrades had made a difference in care. Maimuna was excited. “There are many improvements,” she told me. “There are no delays in doing c/sections. No one is being turned away from the hospital. There were eight deliveries last night. And there are no more secrets. This is a great improvement”

What she went on to describe is a situation where the walkie-talkies allow the physicians to know when there are patients in need of emergency care. This is the ‘no secrets’ to which she referred. Cesarean sections are being performed without difficulty at night, and that more patients were coming to the hospital for care.

I spoke to a physician tonight and confirmed the nurse’s report! He told me that the solar interventions have made a big impact on reducing the third delay – the delay in getting women life-saving care once they arrive at the hospital.

I am so happy to know that our efforts are having the exact impact that we hoped for! Now we will make efforts to bring these life-saving interventions to other hospitals providing obstetric care in Africa.

RECENT STORIES

In One Place, Together

Fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other rapid onset disasters cripple existing infrastructure, threatening public health and safety. The electrical power supply system is often one of the first services to collapse in the event of a

Read More »

For Jacinta, with Love

It is with great sadness that we share with you the passing of our beloved Jacinta after a long illness. Through it all, she never stopped exploring, engaging, or sharing and she lived her final year

Read More »

Filling the Void

By Lindsay Maida, of The James and Sharon Maida Foundation Often when we consider global health and health care delivery, the patient is commonly thought

Read More »

Midwifery Made Easier

Imagine delivering a baby without light. Rosette Uwayezu, the 23-year-old midwife in charge of maternity services at Green Valley Health Center II, knows what its

Read More »