Madiina had already endured more hardship than most. Her mother, a mother of six, had delivered her previous children at the hospital in Diinsoor, back when it was still functioning. But by the time Madiina was ready to give birth to her first child, the facility was no longer operational, leaving her with no choice but to deliver at home.
She gave birth to a healthy baby in a makeshift hut. Ten days later, however, she began bleeding severely. Her family rushed to help, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop, and her life was in danger. With no medical facility nearby, her husband acted quickly: he borrowed money, arranged a car, and drove almost five hours to Baidoa in a desperate bid to save her.
“The vehicle dropped us off right at the hospital door,” he recalls. “Once she was brought here, treatment started, and now she has recovered, Alhamdulillah.”
At MSF’s Bay Regional Hospital, doctors transfused blood and treated Madiina’s haemorrhage. She survived against the odds.
As she regained strength, Madiina and her mother were struck by the kindness surrounding them. The hospital provided not only free medicine but also food and water for both of them—something they never expected. “Since I’ve been here, not even a single cup of tea had to be brought from outside. We get all our meals here, me and my daughter,” her mother says with gratitude.
Now back home in Diinsoor, Madiina is enjoying motherhood and sharing her experience. “This hospital is very good,” she says. “Whenever I call relatives, I tell them how they saved us.”