Maternal and child health

This abstract presents a study involving 16 midwives working at the Beira Central Hospital in Mozambique. Its aim was to assess whether providing the women with training in neonatal resuscitation techniques would help to improve their practical skills in that area. The assessment was made based on videos filmed before and after the training, as [...]

Neonatal mortality is a serious problem in low-resource countries; indeed, 99% of newborn deaths occur in such settings. In 2014 Doctors with Africa CUAMM launched a multi-level project in Mozambique’s Beira Central Hospital (BCH) to support both the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and its obstetric ward. The three-pronged approach taken entailed refurbishing and [...]

This study assessed the maternal health services provided by Doctors with Africa CUAMM in Wolisso, Gori and Wonchi Districts, in Ethiopia’s central Oromia Region. It was based on an evaluation of four key parameters: pregnant women’s use of at least 4 prenatal visits; use of the three basic health services, i.e. blood pressure measurement and [...]

Prune Belly Syndrome (PBS) is a rare congenital syndrome characterized by three main features: abdominal wall flaccidity, bilateral intra-abdominal cryptorchidism and urological abnormalities. In this study we describe the case of a 2,600 gr baby, born at the Central Hospital of Beira, in Mozambique. Our study confirms that in a low-income country only conservative management [...]

During the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, people’s confidence in the national health care system weakened, leading to a reduction in their use of health services. The main measures taken to control the epidemic in the country’s Pujehun District were the organization by local health authorities of a rapid response to the crisis, the sorting-out [...]

This retrospective study assessed the operation of an ambulance service set up for pregnant women needing transportation to EmOC healthcare facilities in a rural area of Ethiopia between 1 July and 31 December 2013. The service was available 24 hours a day and was free of charge. The majority (59.5%) of the women who requested [...]

Neonatal hypothermia is one of the biggest challenges associated with the morbidity and mortality of preterm infants, especially in sub-Saharan African countries, where neonatal support therapy is very limited. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a low-cost method whose use is highly recommended whenever possible in order to maintain the body temperature of such infants. Despite [...]