Posted on 24 May, 2012
When I get to the hospital, the patient is prepared for the operating theatre, and just waiting for me to evaluate her. She is 3cm dilated – which is very early in labor – and yet her contractions have stopped. The fetal head is so high up in the pelvis that the midwife’s fingers can barely touch it – a bad sign.
Veronica Ades is an obstetrician-gynecologist on her first MSF mission in Aweil, South Sudan. She has not yet mastered the art of the pit latrine.
An MSF physiotherapist assists Suleiman*, a 15-year-old boy in the intensive care unit. He underwent an emergency laparotomy the night before after suffering a complete bowel obstruction due to a traumatic injury.
Before the opening of the MSF surgical hospital in Kunduz Province, northern Afghanistan, people in the region suffering from severe injuries had two options. They made the long and dangerous journey to Kabul or Pakistan, or they visited an expensive private clinic. As a result, few patients received the trauma care they needed.
In less than a year, the MSF trauma center, equipped with an emergency room, two operating theaters, and an intensive care unit, has seen more than 3,700 patients. The majority are victims of so-called “general trauma"—road traffic accidents, domestic violence, or civilian gunshot wounds.
More photos: Trauma Care Where There Was None in Northern Afghanistan
*All patients’ names have been changed.
Photos: Afghanistan 2012 © Michael Goldfarb/MSF