[h=1]Images from Mwananyamala[/h] Mwananyamala Hospital, one of three district hospitals in Dar-es-Salaam. Average of 70-90 births a day.
1. Here's the new Maternity Block, built with donor money, and referred to as ‘the Factory' by the doctor who showed us round:
2. Outside the new block, a line of khanga cloths dry in the sun:
In Tanzania, the khanga is a symbol of maternity, being at once a blanket, swaddling cloth, carry sling, maternity dress or surgical swab.
It can be used to determine haemorrhage: if the khanga can't soak up all the blood, then it is a haemorrhage (one khanga is supposed to absorb half a litre of blood).
3. Here's a list of the 15 women who were in the labour ward when we visited:
The list shows the women's names on the left, with a status update on the right. ‘Bado' means: not yet (5 out of 15 women) ‘Mtoto wa Kiume' means: baby boy (3 out of 15) ‘wa Kike' means: baby girl (3 out of 15) ‘Ndugu tuonane' means: we need to see the relatives (3 out of 15)
…We need to see the relatives…
Complications? Problems? Mortality?
4. And here's a picture of a woman sitting in the shade under a mango tree in the hospital grounds:
Holding her head and wailing – either in frustration, pain, or grief. It was hard to tell which…