Mulago hospital is the national referral hospital in Uganda. Patients are sent here from all over the country if they are noted to have any kind of complication with pregnancy or labor. Over 50% come with obstructed labor.
As I started my rounds on the labor unit, I noted that there were 12 women waiting for cesarean section. All fully dilated. The fetus sitting deep in their pelvis threatening to cause a fistula if a remedy is not readily performed.
I walk back to the operating room to see when I can bring the patients back for surgery. There are two doctors and three nurses casually drinking tea.
"We have 12 pending sections. Can I bring the first 2 back to the OR", I ask.
The nurse responds "The autoclave is broken. We have no instruments. We can't operate."
10 hours later, someone came to fix the autoclave. When I came to work the following morning, five of these poor twelve women were still moaning and groaning to the pains of obstructed labor. Hopefully today they will get their cesarean section.
As I started my rounds on the labor unit, I noted that there were 12 women waiting for cesarean section. All fully dilated. The fetus sitting deep in their pelvis threatening to cause a fistula if a remedy is not readily performed.
I walk back to the operating room to see when I can bring the patients back for surgery. There are two doctors and three nurses casually drinking tea.
"We have 12 pending sections. Can I bring the first 2 back to the OR", I ask.
The nurse responds "The autoclave is broken. We have no instruments. We can't operate."
10 hours later, someone came to fix the autoclave. When I came to work the following morning, five of these poor twelve women were still moaning and groaning to the pains of obstructed labor. Hopefully today they will get their cesarean section.