16/04/2015
MONTHLY UPDATE/CASE STUDY:
TRÓCAIRE OFFICIALLY OPENS INAUGURAL OPERATING THEATRE IN GEDO
REGION, SOUTH SOMALIA
Trócaire officially opens a first-of-its-kind operating theatre at the Khalil hospital in
Belet Xaawa district, Gedo region south of Somalia.
The facility will provide much needed surgical procedures and other maternal
services, free of charge, to at least two thousand women or 4% of the total target
population in the district. In addition, the operating theatre is set to be one of a string
of measures to standardize maternal care in a region with limited opportunities for
professional medical assistance for women, children and men.
In a country with one of the highest maternal and child death rates in the world, the
facility is expected to increase the number of surgical procedures as caesarean
sections, that would save the lives of thousands of women during childbirth.
Available research suggests that one in every nine women dies during child-birth due
to complications that could be less tragic if addressed effectively and efficiently.
“No woman should die while bringing forth life,” said Ombretta Mazzaroni, Trócaire’s
acting country director in Somalia. “The service we offer as from today will make
sure that child-birth remains one of the happiest and less life threatening moments in
a mother’s life.”
The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID) has majorly
supported the construction of the operating theatre, a process that started in May
2014 but with frequent distractions due to major complexities including security in the
area.
“We are more than happy to see the operating theatre up and running after a long
and challenging year,” said Karen Stephenson, Health Advisor with DfID Somalia’s
Human Development Team. “This will go a long way in bettering the lives of mothers
and their new-borns in Belet Xaawa and in the future, all of Gedo.”
As part of its health and nutrition program, Trócaire supports the Khalil Hospital with
services such as obstetric care, ante and post-natal care, vaccinations, malnutrition
screening and treatment. The hospital offers referral services to more advanced
health facilities in Kenya and Ethiopia in situations requiring higher levels of
healthcare. The hospital staff comprises of one medical doctor, 31 qualified and
auxiliary nurses, a matron and other support staff.
Trócaire also partners with the district health board that consists of 12 members,
who are the overall supervisors of the hospital and other medical facilities.
“Our aim is to one day hand over this hospital to the health board and the local
authorities as we work with them to equip them with the necessary skills,” said Ms.
Mazzaroni. “We want to see the community taking control of the health service so
that they can demand the same and even better from their duty-bearers.”
Trócaire is part of the Health Consortium for the Somali people (HCS), a five-year
programme funded and supported by the UK Department for International
Development (DFID), to implement an integrated health program in areas within the
three zones of Somalia. The HCS partners with health authorities, civil society and
local communities to augment the range, quality and utilization rates of health
services, with a focus on reproductive, maternal and child health.
Trócaire has been working in five districts within the Gedo region providing maternal
and child health care, nutrition and primary education to over 200,000 women and
children.
For more information, please contact:
In Nairobi – Abdi Tari, +254 725 018 065
In Maynooth (Ireland) - Eoghan Rice, +353 1 6549113
www.trocire.org or www.hcsshare.org
FACEBOOK: Trócaire | TWITTER: @trocaire