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Made it to Kisumu

Posted by Lisa Ryujin, MD (a second year Ob/Gyn resident from Kaiser Permanente Oakland serving a global health elective at The Matibabu Foundation in Ugenya, Kenya).

4/28/10

There have been rolling black outs, so I’ve been without internet connection, but today I made it to Kisumu.

I have been going to all the local hospitals and taking an inventory to evaluate the cause of the high maternal mortality.  After interviewing the women at the hospitals, I’m actually surprised the outcomes are so good.  At one of the referral hospitals, Ambira, there are only 2 speculums, 1 bulb suction to suction the baby’s mouth, and no functioning baby warmer.  They have 2 non-functional MUAs, they have 6 laboring beds, but only 1 delivery bed, and no linens.  A woman came in to see us after a fetal demise at home, with probable metritis.  It’s been devastating, but there have also been bright spots.  By some miracle, the Matibabu clinic has the only ultrasound machine in the region (except the Siaya District Hospital, which is the only hospital that has an OR, about a half an hour ride by car/ambulance, on bike 1 hr) and I have started teaching classes to the clinical officers and nurses so that they can start to evaluate vertex position, completed abortion and after only 2 patients, we got to see an unknown case of twins!  I think this could be a great improvement, and they all want to learn and provide this service!

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