The van and midwife training at Nyamata hospital
HDI finally has the van….. the new mobile clinic! John is a happy man – he has been spending a lot of time negotiating for the van and on the mobile clinic project.
The van - the new mobile clinic
It was perfect timing because we have two Drs visiting from the US at the moment (staying with us) and they have been able to go on a number of rural clinic visits.
The following day was also the first of a two-day training course for midwives held at Nyamata hospital, the only hospital that serves Bugasera district with a population of 300,000. During some of the training I met with the director of the hospital to learn about their needs and to plan to write some grants for them. The hospital is doing a good job but with limited funds and resources and a huge population to serve it is struggling.
Meanwhile the training was a success. 19 midwives attended from hospitals all over Rwanda and the training covered family planning complications, difficult deliveries and neonatal resuscitation.
Dr Dan (HDI) demonstrating a breech delivery
Practicing neonatal resuscitation
Demonstrating deliveries (with Nadja as the prop)
More practice
The feedback and evaluation from the training was excellent. Midwives in Rwanda, once trained, receive no further training, so it was great to be able to bring them up to date with new proven methods and techniques with the aim to improve maternal and infant mortality rates.
John and I also learned a lot…. including that we don’t want to have a baby in Rwanda!