Note From Dr. George

We are on our way home to the USA. We are in the Amsterdam Airport and I have a few minutes to send this quick message. As we left Nigeria, we discovered our video communications equipment weighed too much to be put on the plane. This surprised us because it didn't make sense that we could take the equipment to Nigeria but not bring it back with us. However, after some negotiations we were able to get it through.

The day after we left Our Lady of the Apostles (OLA) Hospital in Jos for Abuja and our training there, Sr. Mary, administrator of the hospital, told us they had a case of a woman who had come to the hospital with an IUFD - there acronym for a intrauterine fetal death. In either the village or at a primitive health center, those providing maternal care had cut two large medio-lateral episiotimies trying to get the baby out. These lacerations bled into her perineum until it was the size of a soccer ball. Doctors at OLA, where we had just conducted speciality family medical training, were able to help the woman and save her life, but it is so tragic what women suffer for want of basic health care.

There will certainly be mountains beyond mountains to climb regarding maternal health care in developing countries, but very good things happened this trip and we continue to make progress.