As we remember our mothers and fathers whether living or deceased, we can only continue to marvel at the life and work of Edna Adan Ismail, who is truly the mother of women’s health care in Somaliland. Still going strong at the age of 86, Edna is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the training of nurses and midwives, a relentless campaigner against the damaging practice of FGM, and a role model for multiple generations of women and health professionals across the African continent. In April, she came to the U.S. for two events to celebrate her reception of the prestigious 2023 Templeton Prize (detailed in our previous Holiday newsletter), and to visit and thank organizations across the country who have contributed to her mission over the years. It would have been an exhausting itinerary for a person half her age, but there is nothing Edna relishes more than to share with new audiences her passion for her country and the countless families she and her staff have served.
For all the international accolades, Edna’s greatest pride and satisfaction come from the mothers and children who are alive today because of the professional care they received at her Hospital or in the rural mother-child clinics staffed by her graduates. In January, the Friends committed to covering the costs of the estimated 30-40 emergency Cesarian sections which the Hospital is called upon to perform each year for indigent mothers who face life-threatening conditions due to unforeseen labor obstructions or fetal distress. As fortune would have it, two such emergency C-sections had to be performed back-to-back on March 22 and 23, with both mothers and babies discharged a few days later. So far this year—as for all of 2023—there have been NO maternal mortalities at the Hospital. This is a remarkable achievement, given that 20 years ago Somaliland had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, and even today the riskiest and most complicated pregnancies in the region are typically referred to the Edna Adan Hospital.
Already this year, your support has enabled us to collaborate with the Stirling Foundation to purchase 13 portable ultrasound devices and i-pads supplied by the non-profit NYAGI Project to help detect and monitor high-risk pregnancies in remote rural areas. Edna is excited that her trainees will be able to learn such new technologies for early diagnosis of life-threatening conditions such as placenta previa during pregnancy, or an ectopic or tubal pregnancy. Friends is also supporting the training of Anesthesia Nurses: 26 are currently sitting for their qualifying exams, and those who pass will be dispatched to the Ministry of Health for assignment to hospitals across Somaliland, including three at her own. In June, the Edna University will administer exams to its third cohort of medical doctors, with External Examiners from King’s College London. In addition, 8 medical doctors (6 of them women) will be completing their 12-month Diploma training in Obstetric Emergencies and New-Born Care, one of many specialties Edna has introduced to raise the level of professional health care in her country.
As Edna told the audience at her Templeton Award ceremony, training 4000 health professionals and delivering more than 34,000 babies since 2002 could never have happened without the help of so many charities, training partners across the world, and individuals like you. Friends can be proud of its contributions, and we thank you sincerely for your continuing support.
Dr. Lee Cassanelli, President of the Friends of Edna’s Maternity Hospital