Southern Ethiopia - Gwent Health Link

Dr Fitsum and Dr Eskedar, two female doctors from Hawassa College, started their short term clinical attachment at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny on the 19th of May. They are from the very first batch of medical gradutes to qualify from Hawassa Medical College which has been supported by the link since its very beginning with skills training, training resources and training of the trainers. Dr Fitsum and Dr Eskedar have arrived as a part of exchange programme between Hawassa University & Cardiff University British Council sponsored Institutional Link initiated by our link. They will spend 4 weeks in Wales including attachment at Cardiff University Hospital.  

Last week in Chobare village 18 year old Shemsia Sultan was going to have her first baby. Unfortunately her labour went on for many long hours without any progress and by the evening she was getting weaker. The nearest medical help was in Alaba health centre 40 kilometers away through poor road conditions and the nearest hospital was over 100km away. Shemsia’s family had heard of the recent arrival of motorbike ambulance in Alaba health centre and the training of the midwives there. They telephoned the health centre in the middle of the night and soon the motorbike ambulance was on its way. Later that night Shemsia gave birth in the health centre, with help from the trained midwife, to her 3kg baby girl.

Thanks to the Link donating the ambulance and training the staff, she did not become part of the statistics for maternal death, still so high in Ethiopia due to lack of adequate facilities and trained staff.

So far the two motorbike ambulances donated by the link to Yirgacheffe and in Alaba have made similar 50 journeys in the last two months. The third motorbike ambulance for Wondogenet is on its way to Ethiopia this week.