When we arrived we were welcomed and invited the morning meeting where many doctors and midwives gathered for a report from the previous 24hrs. There had been many births six of which had been caesarian section and also three stillbirths. The midwife told us they usually had between 10 and 20 births per day. The antenatal ward was fully occupied with woman also on floor. We were shown to the Labour Ward, where two ladies just delivered and another was in full labour.
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| Labour ward |
The midwife informed us she was going to give the ward a thorough clean until the lady was ready to deliver. Sterilisation of instruments were carried out in two large buckets. The first contained a water and bleach solution the other, water from the tap. All used instruments were placed together in the first bucket, and everything washed with the same cloth before rinsing in the bucket of water then stacked on a table to dry. We had the the pleasure of witnessing two live births which were so different to what we are used to in the UK. The women laboured in silence with no pain relief or intervention just nature taking its natural course. The woman were so brave and made it look so easy.
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| Sterlisation with limited resources |
Once the placenta had been delivered they gathered up their babies before walking to the postnatal ward. Only women who had had a caesarian section were allowed a bed; everyone else was on a mattress on the floor on the ward or outside. When one woman left another arrived ready to start the birthing process again. It saddened us to hear the midwife tell of shortage of supplies. Supplies only delivered four times a year, yet the ward ran like clockwork despite the daily problems they faced.
Next stop Medical Ward...but before that we shall enjoy the sights and hidden treasures of Lake Mburo
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