Following an identical 10-question oral protocol for each of those interviewed, she was one of 20 pregnant women who voluntarily participated at a number of centers throughout the region.
Mintwab is a high school teacher and one of the more highly educated women we interviewed. She was very familiar with the Bachuma facility, having given birth here previously by C-section. She had received good health services before and expected the same again. Community health outreach workers had recently come to her home, provided a brief check-up, and shared information about what to expect at the hospital.
Mintwab stressed that she had a strong family support system. Living within a shared village compound, her husband, mother, and sister-in-law all had helped her decide to again use the facility. Among other factors, they noted that being in the hospital at night, should she go into labor then, would be preferable. They also noted that, having had a C-section before, being there would help her minimize any complications. Her husband was visiting her every day, a real plus.
Among the services which she received and appreciated were the regular meals (usually consisting of injera and maize porridge), the ante-natal checkups twice weekly, and the overall health education program. Learning about birth control, whether a woman was intending to become pregnant or not, was essential, she said. She had found the environment to be welcoming, with friendly professionals committed to helping, “even meeting over lunch.” She enjoyed helping with the garden near the maternal waiting area, although wished the area had more beds and blankets.
Of Oromo ethnicity, Mintwab lives within a primarily Me’en population. The Bachuma Hospital is central to the Me’enite District of the country’s West Omo Zone and has been a focus of previous Village Health Partnership WASH initiatives. It serves as a referral facility.
“I can be a role model for other women,” Mintwab concluded. She wanted to enthusiastically spread the word to them.
