When I traveled to Nyangao, Tanzania, for the first time in 2019, I was very excited. My expectations were shaped by reports from Wilhelm Humboldt and Albert Schweitzer. Karibu Sana was written on a small table card at the Sister Thekla Convent in Mtwara when I arrived. I still have the picture on my cell phone because it touched me spiritually. As I drove in a jeep from Mtwara along the dusty country road towards Nyangao, I almost felt like an explorer who was going to explore Africa.
2024 in Advent was my 5th time in Nyangao. But the arrival is still exciting. The Nyangao from the stories of Sister Dr. Tekla Stinnesbeck in the 1960s has changed. Even if many things are still practiced by the people in the rural regions, St. Walburg Hospital continues to develop. The hospital wants to be a key healthcare provider in the region. To achieve this, it has to work hard on quality. The challenges are immense, as there is a lack of money, equipment and staff to keep up with the rapid developments in medicine and technology. Together with Michael Dunst and my husband Ralf Groß, we have dedicated ourselves to a central project this time - taking a close look at information technology (IT).
My time in Nyangao is always very intense. In addition to supporting the gynecological-obstetric team, I have been increasingly involved in data collection. The word "data collection" triggers a defensive reaction in many people, but it is a key function in a medical organization. Knowing what the patient numbers are is a great thing, but in order to assess the quality of medical care, you need to look into much more detail. For example, looking at the data from obstetrics and our cervical cancer screening program provided interesting insights. As a foundation, we can use this knowledge to better manage our activities so that the best possible outcome can be achieved.
Safe pregnancy and birth are not only at the top of my agenda, but are also a UN Sustainable Development Goal SDG 3. The obstetrics team in Nyangao is confronted with very complex obstetric cases on a daily basis and tries to do the best for the patients with the limited resources available. Serious pregnancy illnesses caused by high blood pressure are not uncommon in the maternity ward. As a result, babies are often born prematurely or are poorly developed, even if they are born around the due date. It is possible to anticipate these complications and treat them at an early stage. In countries of the global North, this is the norm. We still need support from people in Germany so that women in and around Nyangao can also participate in this normality.
What I was particularly pleased about were the six twin births in just under two weeks, all of which went well. The children and their mothers were able to leave the hospital healthy - even though some of them had a bad start due to their prematurity.
Dr Solveig Groß
(gynecologist) has been a volunteer in the projects of Artemed Stiftung for many years.
