Special Care for Babies. A matron goes the extra mile

Matron Isatu Kamara is busy. She is busy ensuring that babies are given a better chance at survival...

Matron Isatu Kamara is busy. She is busy ensuring that babies are given a better chance at survival. When she was first transferred to Sir Milton Margai hospital in Kenema, she noticed that premature or severely malnourished newborns were not receiving the special care required to ensure a better chance of survival. Although the factors contributing to the birth of unwell newborns are often times linked to systemic poverty, she also knew that at a clinical level, a solution was possible.

Six months into her new post at the hospital, Matron Kamara decided to do something about the absence of a neonatal unit, a special space for vulnerable newborns to catch up on growth and development. Instead of merely complaining about the lack of resources, she chose to become proactive and approach the district council of Kenema with a proposal for the creation of a neonatal unit. 

The solution seemed simple.We needed to focus on newborn health, the first step; the hospital needed a neo-natal health unit. A sterilised, specialized area to concentrate on the health of newborns, I knew we needed it to ensure that we saved lives. 

Matron Kamara succeeded in getting the funds. She, along with the help of other nurses like Fonda Josphine Sellu, quickly renovated an unused space in the hospital by transforming it into a neonatal unit. They were able to purchase about ten baby cots and one incubator for emergency cases, in addition to assigning five nurses to the unit, which VSO helped to train over 6 months.

We have been saving lives since, and that makes me happy.

 More needs to be done to expand this unit however. It is imperative that the unit continues to expand and receive support in order to increase survival rates for newborns. Matron Kamara remains optimistic, “it isn’t easy, and we require continued support in order to better develop the unit. But we are saving lives. Did you see the twins? Look, we do our best.”

The neonatal unit is indicative of human will to institute change within the health care system.  The neonatal unit is relatively basic, but even with simple interventions and commitment it is able to provide a better chance at survive for newborns. Matron Kamara beams like a proud mother, and better yet, she is an example of a nurse within the Sierra Leonean health care system that cares about her patients and will go the extra mile to ensure they survive. 

 

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