Home / Blog / Improving Health Care for Women around the Globe through New Obstetrics & Gynecology Program

Improving Health Care for Women around the Globe through New Obstetrics & Gynecology Program

The usual practice was to leave the plastic clamp in place on the umbilical cord until the cord itself fell off.  Staff was horrified when I suggested removing it after 48 hours, since it was hard and scratchy on the baby’s belly and legs, likely contaminated with urine and stool, and had served its purpose.  Despite education and reassurance, all were certain the baby would bleed to death if the clamp was removed.  The NICU nurse manager and I bought a wire cutter at a hardware store…the best cord clamp cutter we could find. All gathered around the bedside with wide eyes to watch me remove a days-old clamp from a tiny baby.  The clamp was snipped and removed without incident.  Within days, the maternity ward and the follow-up clinic staff were clamoring for their own wire cutters.  Small changes in practice that are good for the patient can be very satisfying.”

– Cindy Davis, MSN, NNP-BC, Pediatrics, Bhutan

According to the World Health Organization, nearly half of all newborns and mothers in developing countries do not receive skilled care during or immediately after birth. The WHO predicts that as many as two thirds of all infant deaths could be prevented if known health care measures were taken during the first week of life. And as for mothers?  Every day roughly 830 women die from pregnancy or childbirth related causes; 99 percent of these deaths occur in resource-scarce countries and the majority are preventable.

What can be done to improve the quality of care for mothers and their children around the globe? As Ms. Davis’ story illustrates, education is a powerful tool that sometimes works almost entirely on its own to improve health outcomes. All it took was a wire cutter and a demonstration of a proven medical practice to improve the quality of patient care in the maternity ward at Bhutan’s National Referral Hospital. Obviously, the solution is not always so simple, but education is always a critical piece of the equation. By providing education, training and professional development opportunities to local health care providers in resource-scarce countries, HVO volunteers empower those health workers to continue to improve patient care on their own, long after the completion of the volunteer’s assignment.

With the support of our newest sponsor, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), HVO is thrilled to announce that we are launching a new obstetrics and gynecology program. Over the next several months, we will design and develop projects in partnership with overseas health institutions that will educate local health workers on best practices and contemporary techniques in women’s health care.

In his inaugural address, delivered at the ACOG annual meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 17, Dr. Thomas M. Gellhaus, the 67th president of ACOG, spoke of the importance of focusing on global health—a conviction rooted in his own experience serving on a medical mission in the Dominican Republic. “Even two weeks of a physician’s time can work wonders,” he remarked. Two weeks dedicated to educating and supporting local health care providers will have a particularly long-lasting impact. We look forward to partnering with ACOG to improve the quality and availability of care for women through education.

If you’d like to receive information about new projects in obstetrics and gynecology, please join our mailing list.