Edna Hospital of Somaliland » Hospital News

Edna Hospital needs to Hire a Physician

Webmaster — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:52:51 +0000

Once again, we are in a state of panic because we will be losing our excellent resident doctor in September when he will proceed on a Scholarship to specialise in Surgery.

Dr. Abdiqani who had gained practical experience at our hospital and later was assigned here on rotational internship, joined our staff after he completed his medical studies and internship. He lived here with us and is a highly dedicated and efficient young doctor who will be very hard to replace.

The Edna Adan Hospital which is a Teaching hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland, is looking for a resident Medical Doctor for a long-term appointment that initially will be for 12 months.

General Job Description

TITLE : Medical Officer

REPORTS TO : Hospital Director, or to Deputy Director when the Director is
absent

LOCATION : Edna Adan Maternity Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland

Background of Hospital:

Against all odds, and overcoming various technical and financial constraints, the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital was opened on the 9th of March 2002, and the first baby was born on the 10th March, 2002.

Within a short time, the hospital has become a referral hospital for obstetrical and medical emergencies for a wide geographical area in the Horn of Africa.

Between the 10th of March 2002 and the end of May, 2010, nearly 10,000 babies have been born, over 900 Caesarean Sections performed, over 10,000 sick men women and children treated ihe the hospital and over 80,000 persons treated as out patients.

The hospital is a training school for nurses, midwives, medical students, phamacy assistants and laboratory teachnicians.

Several other short courses and Seminars are frequently held for various categories of health workers.

Terms of Reference of Doctor

Train, guide and supervise junior doctors working in the hospital in order to attain the highest standard of patient care with the available resources.
Demonstrate and teach the use of diagnostic Ultrasound
Demonstrate and teach use of ECG
Participate in the examination and treatment of patients attending the Prenatal, Postnatal and Family Planning Clinics
Participate in daily ward rounds or take turns with the other doctors to treat patients.
Treat the patients admitted to Postnatal or General ward
Be on call for Obstetrical Emergencies for Labour and Delivery Ward as well as in the medical ward in rotation with other doctors.
Participate in development of guidelines for implementation of routine treatment Procedures and protocols as needed.
Assist, demonstrate and teach correct surgical procedures to national doctors and medical students.
Participate in the training and supervision of Midwives and Nurses working, or studying at the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital
Participate in the training and supervision of student nurse-midwives, Health Officers as well as Laboratory Technician trainees as needed.
Advise the Hospital Director about patient care responsibilities of the hospital
Report to the Hospital Director, and upon request by the Director, to the hospital Board of Trustees on the status of the hospital.
Submit a brief report at end of assignment to advise on how hospital standards could be improved further.

Salary and Other Compensation

We are offering the following, based on successful selection after we interview the candidate and review the comments of the referees:

1. US$1500 a month ( tax free )
2. Free furnished accommodation,
3. Free house keeping
4. Free laundry
5. Free local calls
6. All meals
7. Free internet access
8. One month paid leave every 11 months
9. Return ticket if cost does not exceed $500

Mrs. Edna Adan Ismail
Hospital Director

Tel: 00 252 2 4426 922

Hiring: Midwifery Lead Tutor

Webmaster — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:22:20 +0000

BSc Midwifery Lead Tutor, 18 month contract*

The Edna Adan Maternity Hospital (EAH), University of Hargeisa (UoH) and THET have a vacancy for a full time Lead tutor to head and implement the first BSc in Midwifery in Somaliland’s history.

Since declaring independence in 1991 Somaliland has suffered many of the problems associated with post conflict including a critical shortage of health professionals. This rewarding position offers a unique opportunity to be involved in the development of human and institutional capacity, crucial for the rebuilding of the health system in Somaliland.

THET is an international non governmental organisation which has been working with health institutions in Somaliland to strengthen the health system since 2000. The Edna Adan Hospital, located in Hargeisa, Somaliland, is a non-profit charity community hospital built by the Hospital Director and founder Edna Adan Ismail. The hospital is the main teaching institution in country for midwifery with a history of training community and post basic midwives. The University of Hargeisa is the largest university in the country with a reputation for providing courses astutely designed to build human capital in key areas essential to the country’s reconstruction. The BSc Midwifery students would join the University of Hargeisa community within the Faculty of Medicine.

Role

The post holder will lead the implementation of a high quality BSc Midwifery Programme for qualified midwives, the first BSc level Midwifery course to be run in Somaliland. In consultation with EAH and the UOH s/he will take overall responsibility for the delivery and evaluation of the course. As the course lead, s/he will be responsible for planning the teaching programme; supervising course tutors (including short term international technical support) and ensuring effective mentorship of the students.

Essential

Practicing midwife and registered in own country
University graduate, educated at least to Master’s Level
Education qualification or proven extensive experience of midwifery teaching at BSc level, with strong clinical and theory skills
Fluent English speaker (the course will be delivered 100% in English)
Strong research skills
Strong IT skills – word, power point and excel
Able to work independently
Innovative and adaptable, able to work effectively in a resource constrained environment
Strong interpersonal skills, able to communicate and collaborate effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds

Desirable

Substantial developing country work experience, preferably North / north-east Africa or sub-Sahara

To apply, please send a CV and a one page covering letter to Samira Abu-Helil, THET, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE or by email to: Samira at thet.org

Closing date for applications is 16th July
Interviews week beginning August 5th.

*Funding for this programme and UoH accreditation is subject to approval.

Edna Adan Knighted by France

Webmaster — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:30:53 +0000

Edna Adan receives French Legion of Honor

On April 17, Edna Adan was presented the French Legion of Honor by the French Ambassador. This is France’s highest honor – grade de chevalier dans l’ordre de la Légion d’honneur. The decision to honor Edna with this title was made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in this letter.

As noted by the Ambassador in his speech conferring this honor, Edna might have chosen to receive the medal in Paris under a golden roof but, instead, chose to receive it here at the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital:

Edna, you were awarded the Legion of Honor because of your outstanding example as a human person. I cannot say more than these two words: a Human Person with all the dignity attached to this quality. The French Republic at the top has recognized in you a person who has promoted the Human values for which the French Republic stands in the world. That is the true meaning of your recognition. Many times we are not living up to our expectations as defender of human rights but we recognize this as our duty, our special mission in the world, in international politics and everyday life. We recognize when somebody in the world raises these expectations. We recognized you.

…Everybody should be made conscious that this other end of the world, best known as the land of chaos, we call it with you: Land of Hope.

The occasion was combined with the graduation ceremony for a class of 26 newly-trained Laboratory Technicians. Of these, 19 were boys and 6 were girls. In the final examination, the top three graduating students were all girls! Given the diminished status of women in Somaliland culture, this is considered to be excellent good news!

Edna Adan speaks accepting Legion of Honor

The French ambassador went on to say:

“We want to recognize future Ednas, maybe in the assembly today. I address the young nurses and laboratory technicians or pharmacists in training here: Are you ready to follow the path opened by Mama Edna Adan Ismael?

“Are you ready to become the new Ednas?

“It’s your turn now for the sake of yourself, your own dignity, the health of your sisters and daughters, we want you to give birth to healthy children who will be the strength of Somaliland tomorrow, mothers and babies defending peace and prosperity in this region the Horn of Africa.”

We have a new page in the main web site dedicated to this occasion. You can read the speeches by both the Ambassador and by Edna Adan:

Another Class of Trained Nurses Graduates

Edna Adan — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:44:56 +0000

This past Thursday night was a great day – we held the graduation of the third group of General Registered Nurses to be trained at our hospital.

Edna with 2010 nursing school graduates

At first we had planned to hold the ceremony in the open but were pushed indoors by the rains.

The graduation ceremony of the 34 girls and 11 boys was honored by the presence of the Somaliland Minister of Health; the Governor of Hargeisa – whose daughter was also graduating; the Deans of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Science of Hargeisa University; the Vice-President of Hargeisa University; Members of Parliament; and the family and friends of our graduates.

We have added a new gallery of photos of this event to the Gallery section of our web site: Edna Hospital 2010 Graduation Ceremony

Hospital News at Year’s End

Edna Adan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:53:09 +0000

Edna Hospital was 7 years old in March 2009.

During that period, we received patients from all corners of the Horn of Africa as well as providing care to UN and international staff and their families in Somaliland, and to screen or treat refugees brought to us for treatment by the United Nations.

Among the new initiatives that we have taken and which we find most heart-warming, is with the School for Children with Special Needs where we have helped to set up a dispensary for them, screened every one of the 83 children in that school, and where we send one of our nurses two days a week to check the children and treat them as needed. This is the first time that such a service has ever been set up in Somaliland and we are happy that we could do it.

This year has seen an increase in the numbers of women we treated from neighboring Somalia who have fled the fighting there.

In April, we had the support of Dr. Thomas Raassen who is among the world’s top surgeons when it comes to the repair of obstetrical fistulae and had him repair 21 women in our hospital. Our usual Smile Train Team also came to repair the Cleft Lips and Palates of 34 children.

Regarding our training, the department has been busier than ever as our current student population is:

46 student nurses graduating in mid-December 2009
26 student Laboratory Technicians graduating in 5 months
74 new Assistant Pharmacists started two weeks ago the very first such training in Somaliland and will be with us for one more year

In May, we graduated our first group of Community Midwives whom we sent out to work in the far and isolated regions of Somaliland.

We have also had a much larger number of foreign volunteers from Europe and North America who helped us with the training and supervision of our staff and students.

The year also continued to bring its worries and frustrations when it comes to the worsening of the water supply of the hospital which continues to be a problem without solution since we would need a borehole for the hospital and this has not been possible.

Much of the above could not have been possible without the generous support of all the benefactors who have supported through their generosity and encouragement.

On behalf of the staff, patients and students at our hospital, we wish to say ‘Thank You’ to the Friends of the Edna Hospital in the USA, to our friend Nick Kristof of the New York Times, and to all of you out there who have helped us help our people.

With much appreciation and blessings,
Edna

Above are some photos – Kofi Annan, Goldie Hawn, Mayor Bloomberg, Demi Moore – taken during Edna Adan’s participation in the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. (See earlier blog entries for more details)

Community Midwives trained to Save Lives

Webmaster — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:02:34 +0000

We have just had the graduation of the first ever Community Midwives trained in Somaliland. This is the ‘new army’ that we have trained for 18 months at our hospital to assist women living in remote areas of our country where there have never been trained midwives before. These 21 Community Midwives will undoubtedly make a difference in the very high maternal and infant mortality rate in our country.

We are proud and happy to have been able to conduct this training at our hospital. Some of the many photos taken during Graduation, which was attended by the Minister of Health of Somaliland, have been added to our Edna Hospital Gallery.

The course was funded by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Edna Hospital by Satellite

Webmaster — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:57:13 +0000

Here is a look at the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, as seen from space:

Click above to view the entire map. Notice that you can use the controls to zoom in and out, or click on the map itself and drag it.

Also, please note that the satellite image is presently a few years out of date and there have been several extensions to the hospital since the time of this photo.

Listen to Edna Adan radio interview

Webmaster — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:58:46 +0000

Saving Somaliland is a radio interview conducted by Radio Netherlands Worldwide (in English!) in which you can hear Edna speak about her work.

Despite the grave problems that the whole region is facing, such as piracy, terrorist violence and drought, Edna Adan has been able to build a private hospital that focuses on mother and child care in the self-declared independent republic of Somaliland.

…To see Edna Adan at work in the hospital is quite enjoyable. Her energy and good spirits are a joy for everybody. She walks through the corridors of the hospital full of energy and has time for a casual, or business, talk with everybody she meets. It so clear that this woman has a vision and a mission that she will pursue.

Welcome to the new Blog!

Edna Adan — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:25:12 +0000

Welcome to the new Blog of the Edna Hospital. We hope that this new feature will develop into a convenient way for the representatives of the Hospital to share information about recent events among all of the many supporters of the Hospital.

Your comments to these Blog entries are always welcome!

Edna Adan Maternity Hospital Opens

Webmaster — Sat, 09 Mar 2002 19:19:46 +0000

This report appeared previously on the main web site and has been transferred here.

by Jennie Goutet, HOPE worldwide

March 9, 2002 was a monumental day in Somaliland as the first nonprofit, teaching maternity hospital in Hargeisa opened at 9:00 a.m.

Opening Ceremonies at the Edna Hospital

After four years of planning and construction, the Vice President, Dahir Riyale Kahin, cut the ribbon and led the procession into the hospital to tour the Operating Theatre, Maternity Ward and Pediatric Ward.

Witnessing the Opening

The opening of Edna Adan Maternity Hospital is a victory.

Witnessing the Opening

The site once used as a mass killing field during the civil war for independence (1988-1990) under Siad Barre’s reign, is now a haven for bringing new life into the world.

Currently, it is estimated that

Ten women die each day during childbirth

One out of every eight children dies before they reach one year of age

One child out of every five won’t reach the age of five

The hospital presents a hope that these statistics will soon change for the better.

The first baby, delivered the following day

The first proud mother

In the first month, 74 patients delivered babies, one mother already saved from a certain death due to hemorrhage. One caesarian section was performed successfully on March 16, with mother and child both doing fine.

With the crisp appearance of the wards and the sterile, modern equipment in the operating theatre (thanks to the donations of the hospital’s supporters), patients are sometimes reluctant to go home. They are confident that all their needs will be attended to by the team of dedicated workers at the hospital.

Edna Adan Ismail has reason to celebrate. The child of a prominent doctor, her dream for helping the sick began at an early age. She has poured her life and savings into seeing this hospital open, and is rejoicing at its success. It’s not the first hospital she attempted to build; the first was in Mogadishu (1984 to 1988) and was taken over when civil war erupted and regretfully was never brought to completion.

The Edna Adan hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland is a true testimony to Edna’s perseverance and dream to help her people fight to live free of disease and sickness.

Celebration following the ceremony