I’d love to share the story of my dear friend and fellow volunteer colleague Mim, who has been such an inspiration to us all here in Ethiopia.
Mim (on the right) and I together – I promise we’re not sisters!
Mim grew up in Malawi, and experienced the devastating impact the lack of hospitals can have on people living in remote, rural areas. Determined to help change this, she trained and worked in London’s St George’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before signing up for her first VSO placement in Ethiopia.
One hospital: 1.2 million people
Mim’s placement was at Suhul General Hospital, which is only a couple of hours away from me in Abi Adi, so we often got the chance to see each other at weekends. There can be some really tough days working on the hospital wards, so knowing Mim is close by and always on the other end of the phone is a great source of comfort.
Suhul General Hospital is even bigger than my hospital. A staggering 1.2 million people rely on Mim’s overstretched hospital when they get ill. Previously, sick babies were all taken into one room and often had to share a cot with others; this meant a high risk of cross infection, and there simply weren’t enough staff watching these particularly fragile babies. When newborns are sick, the first 30 minutes can be absolutely critical for saving their little lives, so the overstretched hospital really did have a critical situation with too few staff.
Mim instantly set to work combating the concerning rate of new-born deaths by setting up a special place for sick and poorly babies – a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Equipment tailored for newborns was bought or built locally, and Mim has also shared her skills as a neonatal doctor by training up five of the hospital staff on the specialist care newborns require. These five staff will now stay in the NICU which is fantastic progress, ensuring little ones are monitored well into the future.
Rahel (left) was one of the first nurses Mim (right) trained in specialist care (©VSO/Paul James Driscoll)
We couldn’t ask for more welcoming colleagues
Although the issues faced in Ethiopia can be daunting at times, both Mim and I agree the staff in Suhul Hospital and Abi Adi Hospital are incredible. Both hospitals’ staff are always so welcoming and encourage the changes we suggest. Often they realise care could be better, but haven’t had proper training or don’t have the correct equipment. It’s always the highlight of your day when you see a sick newborn getting better and going home thanks to a nurse confidently changing her practice.
Mim’s work saves triplets
Mim told me a moving story recently about some premature triplets she treated. Their mother luckily gave birth in Suhul Hospital, but each of the tiny babies weighed just over 3 pounds (1.5 kilograms), which meant they were dangerously small and way too fragile to regulate their own body temperate. Thanks to Mim’s immediate care the triplets were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and put under a specialist warmer.
Within several days, the triplets were strong enough to survive without the heater, and the midwives were able to teach their mother how to provide kangaroo care if they ever felt cold again. Kangaroo Care is a really simple yet ingenious idea of mothers carrying their newborns on their fronts, thereby keeping them warm and giving skin on skin contact which soothes sick babies. The triplets were initially fed through tubes, but once the babies were able to suck and swallow they began to breastfeed.
The triplets when they were first admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (©VSO/Paul James Driscoll)
Thanks to Mim bringing specialist equipment to the NICU, and the professional care provided by the newly trained staff, the triplets all went home healthy and happy.
Thank you
It’s thanks to you that VSO volunteers like Mim and I can be here in beautiful Ethiopia helping mothers and their babies. Yes, there are challenges which can at times feel overwhelming, but you really feel like you are making a difference. We are a VSO team, volunteering together with colleagues from the countries we are in. It is crucial to remember that every each small step we can make is often another deserving life saved.
The NICU has been such a success in the Suhul General Hospital that others are now being planned around Ethiopia and other countries where VSO works. I am excited to hear Abi Adi Hospital may also get the benefit of having a NICU too. Progress is spreading!
Until next time,
Alexa
