OCP Country Representative in Pakistan and Australian Catherine Moody celebrates the 5th Anniversary of Peshawar Women's Hospital and explains the role of the hospital in northeastern Pakistan and its achievements so far.

In 2011, Médecins Sans Frontières opened a hospital dedicated to women living in rural areas in northeastern Pakistan. Pakistan is amongst the countries with the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality. The hospital provides essential obstetric care for women from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district, Kurram Agency and the Federally Administered Tribal Area ( FATA). Many cannot afford the services offered by other facilities or, as in the case of many of the women of FATA, currently have no access to skilled obstetric services near their homes.
Five years on, Peshawar Women’s Hospital admits around 85 patients every week and safely delivers more than 4,700 babies each year. Thanks to local partnerships, the hospital offers free healthcare not only to women deprived of quality healthcare, but also to those who present with high-risk pregnancies, for whom a safe delivery environment is essential. The hospital also offers free healthcare in its 15-bed newborn unit for babies that are premature or suffering from several pathologies at birth.