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SOMALIA / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
STORY: SOMALIA / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
TRT: 3:03
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICITONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: SOMALI / NATS
DATELINE: 23 NOVEMBER 2013, ADWAL REGION SOMALILAND
1. Wide shot, Ifrah with child
2. Close up, Ifrah
3. Med shot, Ifra washing clothes
4. Close up, Ifrah washing clotehrs
5. Med shot, Ifra holding up her child
6. Close up, Ifrah with child
7. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Ifrah Abdullahi Hassan, mother:
“When I become pregnant for the first time, I became ill and I lost the pregnancy at six months. During my second pregnancy, I became ill and the same thing happened to me when I was eight months. I also lost my third pregnancy because of the same problem. But when I got pregnant for the fourth time, I went to the clinic. The midwives treated and advised me to come every month for the antenatal care and when time came to deliver, I was referred to Borama General Hospital where my child was born.”
8. Med shot, Ifrah breastfeeding baby
9. Close up, baby breastfeeding
10. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Safia Dhimbil– Midwife and Head of Dilla MCH Somaliland:
“Ifrah came to the MCH when she was four months pregnant and we checked her and realized she had symptoms of pre-eclempsia – (high blood pressure) and we treated her. So for the first seven months we asked her to come twice in month for a check up and for the 8th and 9th month we monitored her on a weekly basis. When she got into labor, we checked her pelvis and it was too small for her baby to pass through. We then referred her to hospital, where she under went caesarian section.”
11. Wide shot, Ifrah with child walking to health centre
12. Wide shot, Ifrah walking into health centre
13. Med shot, Ifrah receiving tops from midwife
14. Close up, book on post-natal maternal care
15. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Foosia Mohamed Hassan – Midwife Postnatal care
“I advised her today, since she has undergone caesarian section she should not get pregnant for two years. She has to have a space of two years. Now she is breastfeeding and a time will reach soon that she will have family planning method and I told her where to get a family planning method. And when the time is right for her to get pregnant she has to deliver in the facility not at home.”
16. Wide shot, pregnant woman walking toward labour room
17. Tilt up, woman in labour to midwife
18. Wide shot, women walking by health centre
19. Wide shot, health centre
20. Pan left, hospital beds
21. Med shot, woman lying on cot
22. Med shot, woman in a wheelchair
23. Med shot, woman in hospital bed
24. Various shots, women at health centre
Twenty three year old Ifrah Abdullahi was in despair. She had become pregnant three times but miscarried each time just a few months before she was due to give birth. When she became pregnant for the fourth time, her family suggested she went for help at the local Maternal and Child Health, in Adwal region, Somaliland. Now, she can hardly believe she is the mother to a healthy five month old son, Ahmed Abshir Hassan
SOUNDBITE (Somali) Ifrah Abdullahi Hassan, mother:
“When I become pregnant for the first time, I became ill and I lost the pregnancy at 6 months. During my second pregnancy, I became ill and the same thing happened to me when I was 8 months. I also lost my third pregnancy because of the same problem. But when I got pregnant for the forth time, I went to the clinic. The midwives treated and advised me to come every month for the antenatal care and when time came to deliver, I was was referred to Borama general hospital where my child was born
Ifrah says if she had known about the services at the Centre earlier she might not have had those earlier miscarriages.
SOUNDBITE (Somali) Safia Dhimbil– Midwife and Head of Dilla MCH Somaliland:
“Ifrah came to the MCH when she was 4 months pregnant and we checked her and realized she had symptoms of pre-eclempsia – (high blood pressure) and we treated her. So for the first 7 months we asked her to come twice in month for a check up and for the 8th and 9th month we monitored her on a weekly basis. When she got into labor, we checked her pelvis and it was too small for her baby to pass through. We then referred her to hospital, where she under went caesarian section”
Today, Ifrah is walking to the health centre for postnatal care services; she has been visiting the clinic every month and has learnt about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding as well how to care for a baby. Now, the midwife is giving her tips on the kind of food to give her son once he is 6 months and other issues such as family planning.
SOUNDBITE (Somali) Foosia Mohamed Hassan – Midwife Postnatal care
“I advised her today, since she has undergone caesarian section she should not get pregnant for two years. She has to have a space of 2 years. Now she is breastfeeding and a time will reach soon that she will have family planning method and I told her where to get a family planning method. And when the time is right for her to get pregnant she has to deliver in the facility not at home”
Often, even when a pregnant Somali woman wants ante natal care or to give birth in a facility, there is no local health facility available. UNICEF and its partners are scaling up efforts with the support of European Union to reduce the high rate of maternal mortality. Referral hospitals and Maternal and Child Health clinics across Somaliland and Puntland have been upgraded and provided with Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care facilities and staff provided with training.
SOUNDBITE (Somali) Ibrahim Abdi Haji – Mayor of Dilla town, Somaliland:
“I want to thank to UNICEF and the donors because this MCH was very small before and you can see how big it has become we are getting better services than before especially for women and children and also adults are getting services. Before the women use to deliver at home beyond those mountains. Now the presence of these facilities have enabled the women to come and deliver here. There is also transport to bring the women who are in labour from their homes to the facility”
The upgrading of health facilities, provision of medical supplies and training of workers is combined with social mobilization to make women like Ifrah aware of the importance of antenatal care, of giving birth in a health centre or hospital and of coming in for post natal visits. And it seems that slowly but surely it seems the message is getting through.
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