The maternal mortality rate in the United States was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. While this is higher than most other high-income counties in Malawi that number is 381 per 100,000.
Likuni Mission Hospital in Malawi does over 3000 deliveries per year. The need for emergency obstetrical care is immense.
Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) is a program that helps address obstetrical emergencies.
I remember telling a colleague, while we were in Ghana years ago, that every day at our hospital was like an ALSO Course – breach deliveries, ante and post- partum hemorrhages, Pre-eclampsia, Eclampsia, twin and triplet deliveries, obstetrical trauma, ruptured uterus, obstructed labors, etc.
This year I returned to Likuni Mission Hospital with two residents and a faculty member from Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency program. We presented the ALSO course.
The ALSO course is a “hands on” practical educational experience and was very well received.
We also followed up on the point of care ultrasound ( POCUS ) that was introduced last year. We provided more training on its use and answered questions that had arisen since our last visit.
Thanks again to all who helped make this a successful visit
Dr. Brent Burket