Catholic Entity Identifies African Nation with “one of highest maternal mortality rates”

Through the emergency obstetric and neonatal care program under Dollow Referral Health Centre, the leadership of the Irish Catholic entity says that the lives of a good number of mothers have been saved.

In the May 3 report, the program, which is funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) that is located in Gedo in Southern Somalia, more than 5,000 mothers receive vital care every year.

Sokorey Hassan, a 38-year-old mother of 11 is among 6,000 mothers who benefited from the Trócaire-led Somali Health and Nutrition Program.

In the report, Trócaire officials explain that Ms. Hassan visited their health facility where she was examined and discharged after being advised to consider frequent visits for checkups. They add that she did not follow the advice.

The leadership of the Catholic entity further say Ms. Hassan was determined to have a home delivery as she had done for her 10 children but unfortunately ran into complications.

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“She started bleeding heavily at home and was taken back by ambulance to Dollow Referral Health Centre. On admission, she was cold, gasping for air and showing signs of respiratory failure. Her unborn baby’s fetal heart rate was weak,” Trócaire officials say in the report.

After she was attended to, Ms. Hassan had a safe delivery and was later discharged, they add.

In the May 3 report, the Somalian mother of 11 expressed gratitude to the health officers of the hospital. She promised to ensure that her other 10 children are immunized.

“I thought I was going to die, but doctors and nurses saved my life here in Trócaire. My son also received immunization. None of my other children had been immunized before,” Ms. Hassan is quoted as telling the health officers, adding, “Two of my children are still eligible for the vaccine, and I will ensure to bring them for immunization.”

She explained, “All my other pregnancies were fine with no bleeding. If I had stayed at home a little longer, I would have died from profuse bleeding, and my children do not have a grandmother to take care of them.”