NEWS: Safer births in Sierra Leone

In May, Diamedica was delighted to arrange the shipment of a Glostavent ® Anaesthesia System to the Aberdeen Women's Centre in Sierra Leone, courtesy of the Gloag Foundation.

A new maternity unit opened at the centre in April 2010 which is expected to see 1,200 births per year. All services at the centre are provided free of charge, ensuring the survival of many mothers and infants who would not otherwise receive treatments.

The staggering statistics are that every minute one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth - that equates to over half a million women a year. In addition, for every woman who dies in childbirth, around 20 more suffer injury, infection or disease - approximately 10 million women each year.

The new maternity clinic is part of the Aberdeen Women's Centre long-term goal to improve maternal health and reduce childbirth injuries, many of which are devastating.

A particularly devastating maternal injury is obstetric fistula, a tear or hole in the birth canal that results in chronic leakage of urine and/or faeces. An estimated 2 million women in Africa are suffering from obstetric fistula caused by prolonged, obstructed childbirth.

Fistula can often be repaired if those affected can have access to a trained surgeon at a hospital providing fistula repair, but these are relatively few and many women cannot afford the treatment they need. The Aberdeen Women's Centre is one of the few places in Africa that offers women obstetric fistula repair.