The Greatest Gift: Safer births in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be pregnant and give birth. Poor infrastructure, insufficient resources in remote health zones and poverty make the quality of maternal and newborn care one of the lowest on the African continent. In the DRC, one out of every 144 women dies when giving birth. By comparison in Australia, that number is one in 16,700! Yet, implementing a few relatively simple measures and providing basic supplies can easily reduce DRC’s shocking maternal mortality rate.

HandUp Congo, a small Australian-based not-for-profit, has been facilitating emergency medicine education including obstetric emergency care and fistula repair surgical training. In addition to providing basic emergency care training suitable for low resource settings, HandUp Congo facilitates the delivery of medical equipment like ultrasound machines and critical medicines like anaesthetics when a Caesarean Section or fistula repair surgery is required. In Equateur Province, where HandUp Congo focuses much of its training, C-Sections cost about $135 and fistula repair surgery costs $572. The cost cover drugs, spinal anesthesia, food for certain patients and logistics (canoe transportation fuel if they must travel to Bolenge Hospital) and fuel for the generator in the operating theatre.