Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/sharing-cost-effective-reforms-save-mot...
Dear Suren Kayanan,
Thank you for your message linking to your excelelnt article in ThinkGlobalHealth: 'Cost-Effective Reforms to Save Mothers' Lives in Cambodia. An OB-GYN and health administrator recounts how practical, inexpensive strategies improved maternal care at his rural hospital [in Cambodia]'
This is a reminder of the importance of having standard operating procedures, informed by those of WHO and others.
I think all of us who have experience of medicine in low-resource settings will be aware of the critical importance of SOPs. Without them, any emergency situation can become chaotic and lead to failures in care, and avoidable death and disability. Such information and preparation is as important as basic clinical knowledge.
I especially appreciated your concluding paragraph:
'Over time, patient education helped many understand the importance of timely facility-based care, evidence-based interventions, and early recognition of danger signs in pregnancy, increasing their confidence in seeking care at the hospital rather than relying solely on traditional or home-based practices. Simple gestures—explaining procedures, allowing family to stay nearby, and ensuring privacy—often are absent from policy frameworks but are critical for building trust. When women trust the system, feel respected and supported, they seek care earlier, and those earlier arrivals can save lives.'
I'm also reminded of a classic book by Andrew Pearson, 'Medical Administration for Front-Line Doctors: A Practical Guide to the Management of District-level Hospitals in the Public Service or in the Public Sector' (1995)
Thank you.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org