Today, on the International Women’s Day, close to 1000 mothers will die due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Doctor Hilda Joseph Kanama in Tanzania is dedicated to save more lives through her new skills in Obstetric Emergency Care. She also wants to encourage other young women to choose the same profession as she has, in a country where there are only 300 doctors.
Every year hundreds of thousands of newborn babies lose the mothers that they are so dependent on. And 99 percent of the mothers that die due to complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, live in low resource settings. Common reasons are bleeding, infections and hypertension.
Research shows that up to 80 percent of all these deaths could be prevented, and one of the key areas that needs much more attention and resources, is Obstetric Emergency Care. Preventive efforts have led to a decline in maternal mortality during the last decades, but still too little resources are devoted to emergency response.
Hilda Joseph Kanama, 33 years old and a doctor at Muhimbili National Hospital, attended Life Support Foundations latest course in Anaesthesia and Obstetric Emergency Care in Dar es Salaam. She is working in an environment with many challenges, but is committed to her task.
– This is my passion. I want to save mothers lives. Several of my relatives have lost their lives because of complications related to childbirth, and if there is something I can do to change the situation, I will do it.
As a young woman she had to strive in order to achieve her medical education, and she says that she owes a lot to her parents. They worked hard so that their children could all get the best possible education.
Soon Hilda will be a specialist, studying at MUHAS, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.
– Words cannot express what this means to me. It will be such a pride to my family and to myself, achieving a goal in life that I have always strived for, she says.
Hilda knows that the need for qualified doctors is enormous in her country. There are just 300 doctors on 47 million people. She wants to encourage other young women to believe in themselves and work hard to fulfil their education:
– Nothing is impossible, you just have to be determined. They say it is hard, but if I can do it everyone can.
She found the three day long course held by Life Support Foundation at Muhimbili Hospital very informative.
– I have learned that small things that you might think are not that important, can actually save someone’s life. It is important to combine theoretical studies with the more practical education that we have received here.
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