The Safer Delivery Project is a partnership between Horizons Trust Gambia, Kanifing General Hospital (KGH) and Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. This project aims to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies in The Gambia through continuous clinical training.
The ultimate aim – to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the country.
According to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Global Database 2023, Gambia has the 18th highest maternal mortality ratio in the world. The Gambia’s Demographic and Health Survey 2019-2020 recorded the neonatal mortality rate as 27.8 deaths per 1,000 births. The UN predicts that The Gambia will only reach the Sustainable Development Goal of 12 or fewer deaths per 1,000 live births by 2047.
Every one of these deaths is one too many. Horizons Trust Gambia is determined to save the lives of our mothers and babies.
Last week, the Safer Delivery Project ran a 4-day intensive training course for health workers from KGH on the management of obstetric and neonatal complications.
The training was titled “Helping Mothers Survive and Helping Babies Breathe”.
Participants learnt about how to manage post-partum haemorrhage and retained placentas, as well as how to resuscitate a baby. This was the first of a series of step-down training programmes, following initial training from Baylor College of Medicine earlier this year. Baylor also provided essential learning materials including manuals and mannequins.
Dr Jose TK Green Harris, Obstetrician Gynaecologist at KGH, and one of the facilitators of the training, spoke about how the sessions were transformative and empowering for participants: “I think it’s going to enable them, give them more knowledge, skills, capacity to better manage our clients and improve the outcomes.”
Ramatoulie Ajai Ceesay, Nursing Officer at Kanifing Accident and Emergency Unit, added: “I’ve learnt a lot, it’s been very insightful, I’ve become more confident. Now I can confidently say I will be able to manage post-partum haemorrhage and resuscitate a baby.”
By the end of 2023, over 100 staff at KGH will have been trained under this programme. Horizons Trust Gambia will continue to invest in the professional development of healthcare staff so that our mothers and babies survive.
