Story

Mothers Saved: A Liberian Hospital Treats Labor Complications

April 11, 2012 | Pulitzer Center
By
Jake Naughton, for the Pulitzer Center, Monrovia, Liberia

Nurses attend to a woman suffering from convulsions and eclampsia at the James N. Davies Jr. Memorial Hospital, just outside Monrovia, Liberia. Eclampsia is a life-threatening complication of pregnancy caused by high blood pressure. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

Frances rests with her newborn son in the recovery room for new mothers. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

The most problematic pregnancies from rural clinics are referred to Davies Hospital. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

The Liberian equivalent of an isolette or incubator: newborns are placed here for observation after birth so that potential complications can be mitigated. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

A three-hour-old baby rests on his grandmother's lap. His mother was pre-eclamptic and is recovering nearby. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

A grandmother calls family members to tell them about her daughter Frances's successful labor. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

Tufa, a certified midwife, looks at patient paperwork from recent days. Referrals come from nine primary health clinics, so Davies's maternity ward is always busy.

Anita (right), a certified midwife, has worked in the hospital for nearly a year. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

Gladys rests after giving birth as a nurse looks on. She traveled several hours to get to the hospital. Due to long distances, even the simplest labor complications can become life-threatening. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.

After visiting the clinic in Todee, about three hours from Monrovia, we decided to take a trip to the James N. Davies Jr. Memorial Hospital, on the edge of the capital. This hospital receives complicated or problematic cases from rural clinics, including the clinic in Todee.

Davies Hospital, a joint initiative of the Liberian government, USAID and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), seeks to address a significant lack of emergency obstetric and neonatal care—cited by the IRC as a major factor in Liberia's high maternal mortality rates.

Although we visited on a public holiday, the midwives had already attended to several births and treated women suffering from eclampsia and other labor complications. Of the 10 beds in the recovery rooms, only two were empty.

The hospital receives referrals from nine primary health clinics serving roughly 230,000 people, and patients sometimes travel more than 100 miles to get to Davies. While the hospital itself has a low maternal mortality rate, many women die en route or arrive at the hospital when it is already too late.