SKILLED BIRTH ATTENDANTS TRAINING TO SAVE LIVES

In March 2020, five Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) from the Namkha Rural Municipality, Humla completed the Skilled Birth Attendant (SBA) training with the funding of SWAN. They were a second batch of health workers who got an opportunity to participate in a two-month training conducted by National Health Training Center (NHTC) in Paropakar Maternity Hospital, Kathmandu.

Satya Devi Budha, ANM from Simikot District Hospital said, “as I work in Simikot District Hospital, the only referral center of Humla region, different cases come here related to pregnancy. As we got a chance to do the clinical practice in the largest maternity hospital of Nepal, we got an exposure to various complicated cases like postpartum hemorrhage, shoulder dystocia, placenta previa and breech position, among many others. I myself handled 26 deliveries during the training. This has given me a hope to help many pregnant women during their labor.”

“Such trainings are necessary to health workers of the remote region like ours, added Budha with a smile, thanking SWAN for providing the training that helped her to be skilled and confident.

Karma Dickey Lama, ANM from Muchu Health Facilty, said: “This training has empowered me not only with handling deliveries but also taught me to learn case management skills, and making right decisions to refer the complicated delivery cases to the Simikot District Hospital at the right time. For example, Muchu is very far from the District Headquarter, Simikot. It takes almost 2 days to reach Simikot from Muchu area. So, referring the patient at the right time is equally important for the health workers of Muchu.

“I’m very excited to go back to the community and encourage women to come to the birthing centers for antenatal check-ups, safe deliveries, and post-natal check-ups while also helping the Namka Rural Municipality in upping the institutional deliveries.”

Shova Rokaya, a health worker from Khagaalgau health facility shared the same thoughts as other ANMs but she lamented that there is no birthing center in the Khaggalgau Health facility yet and this has compelled the women of Khagalgaau to do the delivery at home. If any complications occur in between the labor pain, people have to carry the patient all the way from Khagaalgau to district hospital which takes almost eight hours long walk risking the lives of mother.

She recalls: “While doing so, many women have delivered their babies in the middle of the journey, risking the lives of both the mother and the newborn. In Humla region, the ground reality of the maternal and child health situation is really scary. The local government, organizations like SWAN, health workers and communities should work hand-in-hand to improve the overall maternal and child health outcome in Humla.”

After the two-month-long training in Kathmandu, we have invited all the five trainees at SWAN Office to share their experiences during the training and to learn their vision of helping pregnant women in the remote communities. We are really excited to hear about their future plans and we are thrilled to know their resilience, excitement and the hope they have gained to saving lives. Thanks to our donors for making this possible!

(Humla is an isolated remote district of Nepal. With extremely difficult terrains and motorable roads still a far-fetched dream, commuting in this remote district is grueling. The basic development indicators like education, health facilities and livelihoods of the Humli people is appallingly poor. When it comes to maternal and child health care programs, the government alone cannot meet the ground reality because the settlements are very far, diverse and culturally unfavorable for women. Women can’t take the decisions like when they want to get married, bear children, birth spacing and so many. Most importantly, they don’t have access to proper birthing center, trained health workers and essential equipment. Therefore, SWAN intervened the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Project to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths in Humla.)

By: Prekshya Lamichhane Kunwar, Communication & Documentation Manager, Social Welfare Association of Nepal (SWAN)
Date: 20th March, 2020

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Please email: swan@swannepal.org