Healing with Compassion: Sister Meseret Ayalew's Impact on Maternal and Child Healthcare

Meet Sister Meseret Ayalew, a dedicated health worker born and raised in Jigjiga, Ethiopia. She has been working at the Glenn C. Olsen Memorial Hospital

for 17 years, and has an additional 12 years of experience in different regions of Ethiopia such as Harar and Dire Dawa. 

At the hospital, there are 90-100 staff members including general practitioners, nurses, senior surgeons, anesthetists, pharmacists, laboratory staff, cleaning staff, and food staff. 

According to Meseret, two types of patients visit the hospital daily, which include maternal and child health care (MCH) patients and regular patients who come for routine checkups. The MCH category includes maternal follow-up, vaccination, and family planning, with an average of 25-30 patients daily. 

Pregnant women receive a minimum of four ultrasound checkups during the nine months of their pregnancy. The hospital has also increased the number of contacts with the doctor from four to eight to ensure a safe delivery.

The majority of pregnant women that she attends are diagnosed with malnutrition due to their lifestyles, and the hospital does a test on the first visit to decide if the mother needs special treatment or close contact.

After giving birth at the hospital, a mother is given a form card that contains the history of her pregnancy and birth. This allows her to have checkups with any healthcare center around her neighborhood if she chooses to. The form contains information like the time and date of birth, birth condition, and more.