One patient my team met was Rudo from Binga, a remote district in northern Zimbabwe close to the border with Zambia.
When my team met her, she had been in labour for 16 hours. Her blood pressure was high, her unborn baby was facing in the wrong direction for delivery and the baby’s heartbeat was weak.
The physician on the scene, Doctor Goronga, had never faced such a complicated delivery.
In moments like this, time is of the essence and medical expertise is critical if Rudo and her child are to survive. Thanks to UNICEF’s mentoring program, an experienced doctor was available to mentor Doctor Goronga through the difficult childbirth, helping him perform an emergency caesarean.
“We were able to deliver a healthy baby for Rudo,” Doctor Goronga happily told us.
Rudo and her beautiful baby girl were lucky, and they are both now doing well.