Skilled midwives help lower maternal deaths in Wau

2026-03-15 - 10:07

Health officials at Wau Teaching Hospital say improved training for midwives and doctors has contributed to a reduction in maternal deaths at the facility. Dr. Bulus Lawrence Ndenge, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at the hospital, says the maternity department has not recorded any maternal deaths since January 2026 following capacity-building training provided to health workers. The training was conducted under the Health Sector Transformation Project, which aims to strengthen access to quality health and nutrition services across Western Bahr el Ghazal State. “Our total staff serving the hospital is around 430,” Dr. Ndenge said. “In the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology we have three obstetricians and gynaecologists, four medical officers, training doctors, house officers and a total of 26 midwives, in addition to nurses working in the maternity department.” According to Dr. Ndenge, the hospital handles between 120 and 170 deliveries each month, including both normal deliveries and caesarean sections. “In this department, the total number of deliveries per month ranges between 120 to 170 skilled birth deliveries, including caesarean sections and normal deliveries,” he explained. He said health workers from various facilities were trained in Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Uterine Care, commonly known as SEMOC. “Under the Health Sector Transformation Project we conducted SEMOC training twice—one in 2024 and another in July 2025—for about 40 participants from different health facilities, including midwives and medical doctors,” Dr. Ndenge said. The doctor noted that the training has improved the ability of midwives to detect complications during pregnancy and labour, particularly in health centres that previously lacked skilled personnel. “The training of midwives has improved their capacity to detect dangerous complications during pregnancy and labour,” he said. “Previously, many facilities had untrained midwives who could not identify complications early.” He added that the hospital recorded two maternal deaths in 2025, mainly due to patients arriving late after being referred from other health facilities in critical condition. “For this year, since January up to now, we have not recorded any maternal death,” Dr. Ndenge said. “Last year we recorded only two maternal deaths, and those patients arrived late from other health facilities.” The maternity department currently manages between eight and twelve deliveries each day. However, Dr. Ndenge warned that staffing shortages could affect services if the situation is not addressed. “The workforce was previously adequate, but with the current challenges—since we are not receiving incentives or salaries—many staff have started leaving to work in other facilities,” he said. The Health Sector Transformation Project is funded by partners including the governments of Canada, the European Union, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, with UNICEF serving as the main implementing partner. Wau Teaching Hospital is a major referral hospital for the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region, with a bed capacity of about 400 and several specialized departments