Mother of Mercy Hospital Update - December 2021
Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan serves as the backbone of the healthcare system in the region. The main referral facility in Gidel and the string of community clinics the staff manage can serve 150,000+ patients a year. The growing staff performs operations, battles cancer and preventable diseases, and brings new children into the world.
Bakhita’s Story
A few times a year, the hospital’s medical director Dr. Tom Catena shares a story from one of their patients.
I want to introduce you to one of my patients. Her name is Bakhita which means Blessing.
She’s 13-years-old and came to us badly burned in a house fire. She sustained partial and full thickness burns over 80% of her body. We gave her little chance of survival.
She initially underwent several operations to remove the dead skin and tissue. After several months of cleaning, she was ready for skin grafting. We were able to perform three separate skin grafts to cover all the burned areas. They were successful and she finally walked out of the hospital six months after she arrived with completely intact skin.
It was a miracle she survived.
Most of the credit goes to our amazing nursing staff, who provided excellent care and never gave up hope for Bakhita.
It takes tremendous resources in both personnel and materials to care for a patient with burns this severe. We are the only hospital in the entire region with the capacity to provide this care. Burn patients undergo great suffering, but at least we are able to provide some hope for them and their families.
None of this would be possible without the support of our donors like you. We are sincerely grateful for all our friends and supporters who help make this work possible.
Photos provided by Mother of Mercy Hospital.
Recent News
It’s been an exceptionally busy year at the hospital. The ceasefire in the Nuba Mountains continues to allow for better freedom of movement, which means more people can travel for care. People have started coming from as far away as Khartoum, Darfur, and the far eastern part of Sudan, a testament to the quality of care and high reputation of the hospital’s staff.
The hospital’s lab technicians are now running a PCR testing machine for COVID-19, with more significant numbers of cases starting to show up nearby. Additionally, a small measles outbreak was detected just a few hours west of the hospital in November. Outbreaks of preventable diseases can be common in Nuba due to low vaccination rates during the war, a problem the hospital’s staff is slowly making progress on. More measles vaccines are now on the way as well.
Several outside medical teams have visited throughout the year to fit prosthetics for those maimed during the war and reconstructive surgeries such as cleft lip repairs, burn scar releases, and other advanced operations that patients can’t find elsewhere. During these visits, Nuba Dr. Martin Kodi and other hospital staff have been able to learn additional skills from visiting physicians and healthcare workers.
Progress is being made on expansions that will enhance the healthcare experience for patients for decades to come. A new building that hosts an eye surgical theater, a clinic room for eye patients, and a large storeroom for medications has been added to the hospital compound. Progress continues on setting up a clinical officer training program, with the hopes of a start date at some point later in 2022. Construction on the facility should begin soon, followed by a planned expansion of the pediatric ward and a new operating theater.
Finally, Operation Broken Silence is managing funds for a multi-org project that is bringing new batteries, building materials and tools, and other resources to improve the power infrastructure at the hospital. These are items that can’t be sourced locally, but will have a major, positive impact on daily operations. They will also help with opening the clinical school and several other upcoming projects in the area.
Despite the recent coup in Khartoum, the situation in the Nuba Mountains remains relatively stable and quiet. Lying before the people of Nuba and the hospital is the potential for rapid progress that was long denied during the war. This is an exciting time for the hospital and people of Nuba, but they need additional support to continue moving forward.
Photo provided by Mother of Mercy Hospital.
Get Involved
Mother of Mercy Hospital is funded by private donors and fundraisers from around the world.
When we all do our small part, the staff, trainees, and patients at the hospital thrive.
The three most common ways to help are to make a one-time donation, sign up to give monthly, or start a fundraising page and ask friends and family to give.
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OTHER WAYS TO GIVE
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Hospital in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900
Donate from your DAF, gift stock, and discover other ways to give.
Photo provided by Mother of Mercy Hospital.
About Nuba
The Nuba Mountains are home to roughly 100 African tribal groups who have lived here for over 2,000 years. The roughly 1.3 million Christian, Muslim, and traditional Nuba people live mostly in harmony.
Sadly, the Nuba way of life has been in danger for decades. Extremist regime officials have long viewed the Nuba people as a threat to their iron-fisted rule. The Sudanese military and their paramilitary allies have committed two genocides in the region since the 1990s.
Dictator Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in a military coup in April 2019. A fledgling transitional government replaced him and is supposed to be moving the country toward civilian, democratic rule. A coup in November 2021 disrupted this progress. A fragile ceasefire is in place in the Nuba Mountains right now.
Operation Broken Silence focuses on the Nuba Mountains and nearby Yida Refugee Camp. We are one of the hospital’s financial partners. Your generous support is essential for the team at the hospital. Learn more about our mission here.
