Maternity Clinic Opens at Aberdeen Women's Center

Barely 72 hours after Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma proclaimed free health care for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under age 5, First Lady Sia Koroma and Ann Gloag, the co-founder of Perth-based transport company, Stagecoach, opened a maternity clinic in Aberdeen, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The maternity clinic is part of the Aberdeen Women’s Center, formerly known as the Aberdeen West Africa Fistula Center (which was founded by Mercy Ships and is now managed by the Gloag Foundation). The Center currently provides free surgery to women injured in child birth and has a children’s outpatient clinic. The facility has the capacity to deliver 1,200 babies each year in the maternity clinic, treat up to 500 women each year in the fistula clinic, and treat more than 6,000 children each year in the outpatient clinic.

The goal of the Aberdeen Women’s Center is to provide mothers in Sierra Leone with quality surgical care for childbirth injuries and help achieve the Millennium Development Goal 5, which aims to reduce maternal mortality across the developing world.

	Ann Gloag (L) cuts the ribbon to mark the opening of the obstetric unit

The day of the opening was relaxed and fun. Singing and dancing to celebrate the occasion was part of the ceremony, and the excitement was obvious to all. Speaking at the official opening of the Aberdeen Women’s Center Maternity Clinic on April 30, Ann Gloag said: “It is inconceivable that in the 21st century, millions of women across Africa still do not have access to quality medical care during pregnancy and childbirth. The Aberdeen Women’s Center can now provide truly holistic care to women and children through our fistula clinic, maternity clinic, and children’s clinic.”

The First Lady thanked Ann Gloag and the Gloag Foundation for this wonderful investment in the lives of the women and children of Sierra Leone. She said, “We are confronting a health crisis not only in Sierra Leone but in Sub-Saharan Africa. The addition of this maternity center is evidence that our fight against maternal mortality is gaining momentum. This center will play a crucial role in helping the people of Aberdeen. In our fight against maternal mortality we should never feel hopeless, because we should always remember that difficult times and circumstances always lead to better days.”

Part of the organization’s long-term plan is to reduce the incidence of obstetric fistula in Sierra Leone. Initially, it is expected that many women will arrive late in labor with serious complications, but with time it is hoped that women will register in advance for antenatal care so that they can receive medical help throughout their pregnancy, thus reducing the risk of injury and of death of the mother or child.

In addition to treating expectant mothers, training local midwives and health professionals is a critical element of the Center’s long-term plan. They are implementing a midwife training program and, in the first year, will train 10 midwives to serve the unit; this number will be expanded each year, thereby boosting capacity in the area.