The Ministry of Health in Rwanda has partnered with top US
institutions of medicine, nursing, health management, and dentistry who are
committed to sending faculty to schools of medicine and nursing, and hospitals
throughout Rwanda. One of those institutions sought the services of retired
Sarasota obstetrician and perinatologist Dr. Washington Hill and his wife,
Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse Pauline Hill. Dr. Washington Hill joined us
tonight to discuss their experiences there.
Dr. Hill is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology
and Maternal-Fetal Medicine and is known through the nation for his expertise
in maternal-fetal medicine and high risk pregnancy. Dr. Hill has cared for the
mothers and babies at the highest risk in our community for over twenty years.
He is now an instructor at the Duke University Medical Center in Kigali,
Rwanda, as part of the Human Resources for Health Program.
Dr. Hill discussed what brought him to Rwanda, the work the Clinton Foundation is doing,
and what he and his wife have been working on for the past year. We focused a
great deal on the value of maternity and prenatal care in Rwanda, and efforts
being made to increase women’s access to and proclivity to seek out prenatal
care. Dr. Hill highlighted the value of midwives in goals to have every birth
attended by a medical health professional in Rwanda. Dr. Hill also discussed
how practicing medicine in Rwanda differs from practicing in the United States,
and also described differences individuals deal with when going about receiving
health care.
Tonight’s tip: Look forward to recovering faster from a natural
birth than a scheduled cesarean, which is major abdominal surgery that causes
more pain, requires a longer hospital stay and a longer recovery. For more tips to help you go the full 40
weeks, visit the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
website at health4mom.org.
Birth in the News:
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