MSF Blog: Yin A Mat Po? (Are You Happy?)

This is the fourth essay for my MSF blog.


In South Sudan, it is unusual for a woman not to have lost at least one child. They die in childbirth, or they die later of malnutrition, malaria, infection, unexplained illness. I have seen women who have delivered 7 children, only to have 3 of them die, or delivered 4 children but having only 1 living child. When a woman arrives, the first question asked is “How many children have you had?” The second question is, “How many are alive?”

It may be a part of life here, but it would be hard to argue that these women suffer less. I truly cannot speak for them, nor know what they feel, whether they have different expectations or a more effective way of processing grief than we do. But in my opinion, grief is grief, and whether you acknowledge it or bury it, it is there and always will be. It is only how you process it that differs.

Click here for the full post: Yin A Mat Po?

MSF Blog: Sepsis

This is the third essay for my MSF blog. A segment is below.

When we arrive in the Operating Theatre (OT), the patient is under anesthesia, and the outgoing obgyn (whom I am replacing) is attempting to deliver her vaginally. She is 18 years old. It is a full term pregnancy, and the baby is already dead. She has been in labor for 4 days. Since it didn’t come out during labor, we can assume it will be difficult to get out now.

Click here for the full post: Sepsis

MSF Blog: Head Entrapment

Here is the second installment from my MSF Blog: Head Entrapment

Feel free to comment here or on the MSF blog. I have gotten some wonderful comments on the MSF site and it's really helpful to know that people are reading.