Mother of Mercy Hospital Update - May 2023
Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan serves as the backbone of the healthcare system in this fragile region. The main referral facility in Gidel and its string of community clinics serve over 150,000+ patients year. The local staff perform operations, battle cancer and preventable diseases, and bring children into the world every day.
We have some wonderful updates from the hospital staff below, but we first need to acknowledge what a difficult time this is for the Sudanese people.
Nearly one month after regime security forces began fighting each other across the country, the situation in the Nuba Mountains remains peaceful. The hospital has not been hit by the escalating conflict, but costs of most supplies are increasing, with prices of food and fuel already doubling. The staff has not seen patients from conflict-affected regions yet, but there will likely be an influx of patients if the fighting drags on.
The military generals responsible for this violence have no vision for Sudan, only a vision for themselves that has led to the senseless deaths of countless people. Can you make a quick donation to the team at the hospital? This is one of the few medical facilities in Sudan that is still fully operational and they need help with rising costs.
Your gift of $113 pays a nurse aide’s salary for an entire month.
Your gift of $226 provides a safe C-section for moms in Nuba.
Your gift of $3,180 provides a registered nurse’s salary for a full year!
Your donation of $5,000 gives a full day of care for all patients at the hospital, which equates to 216 outpatient visits, 7 surgeries, 10 admissions, and 2 safe deliveries.
Operation Broken Silence is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.
Photo provided by Dr. Tom Catena
Jeremiah’s Story
Several times a year, medical director Dr. Tom Catena shares a story of one of their patients or a member of the local staff who is leaving a lasting impression on this vibrant community:
Recently, 12-year-old Jeremiah arrived at Gidel in excruciating pain in his abdomen. Everyone in the hallways of the hospital could hear his cries of agony, and those of us close to him could see the pain resonating on his face. As we began to assess Jeremiah, his concerned mother shared that he had suffered a hard fall while playing football. From his agony, we assumed his injury had taken place that morning. But his mother explained that it occurred two months ago.
Jeremiah's mother added that he had been crying in agony for several weeks and that he could barely sleep. Understanding Jeremiah's level of pain, his mother took him to a local dispensary. But they couldn't help. As you know, many dispensaries here in Africa simply don't have the resources needed to help those who come in with complicated conditions. So, the dispensary referred him to a clinic in Tangal.
As the days became weeks and the weeks became months, Jeremiah's pain was relentless. And like many others before him, when he arrived at the clinic in Tangal, they could not provide relief.
Imagine being Jeremiah's mother and the feelings of helplessness that rise up within one's spirit as your child looks to you for help, but you cannot provide it. I know I share this often, but it is very common for patients in this region to make hours-long journeys to seek urgent, life-saving medical care. In fact, as I write, there are patients walking mile after mile carrying a family member to Gidel. It happens all the time– this is how Jeremiah ended up in our care. Finally, Jeremiah and his mom had a chance to receive answers and, most importantly, experience relief.
Our team provided him with pain management, comfort, and a plan of action. Thanks to friends like you, we performed an exploratory laparotomy to evaluate his abdomen. This procedure uncovered an enlarged spleen. The team was able to provide relief and healing to Jeremiah’s discomfort. Two months later, he was able to go home. Without your support, Jeremiah, and so many others like him, could still be suffering.
As you might imagine, the life of a twelve-year-old in Nuba is drastically different from that of preteens enjoying a carefree life in many other regions of the world. No one should have to wait two months for urgent medical care. No one. Unfortunately, it's the unacceptable norm that happens every day here in Nuba.
But your generosity is changing this story. With your partnership, we plan to make such cases a thing of the past. I am so grateful for you. Today, Jeremiah can get back to enjoying the normalcy of everyday life: playing football and simply enjoying his childhood.
Photo provided by Dr. Tom Catena
Recent News
The hospital staff remains incredibly busy. For example, in February alone the staff provided care to 5,728 outpatients and admitted 545 more into the hospital. 245 eye surgeries and 244 general operations were performed and the staff delivered 50 babies, including 16 by C-section. The costs of providing this level of care are going up because of the war, but this important work continues.
Many of the tools and other resources that are part of the multi-org project Operation Broken Silence recently managed funds for have arrived at the hospital. These were items that couldn’t be sourced locally and are now being put to good use to improve and expand the hospital’s infrastructure.
The new delivery room and surgical theaters are now completed and, with better access to clean water and electricity, the new labour ward is a vast improvement over the old one. A team is now building an 80-bed children’s ward as the current pediatric ward often has two children and adults per bed. Once completed, this will greatly enhance the staff’s ability to care for the children they serve.
Meanwhile at the new clinical school, the team finished off a month of clinical placement with the students and are wrapping up the second semester, we give thanks for how the school continues to move forward. The building team is also constructing new dorms to make room for up to thirty local maternal and child health nurses to join the school this summer. Mother of Mercy has slowly been growing into being a teaching hospital for years and is now on the cusp of fully becoming one.
The vision of a brighter future through improved healthcare is finally becoming a reality, but there is much work left to be done.
Construction of new children’s ward. Photo provided by hospital.
Get Involved
Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our supporters have unique opportunities to empower the staff at Mother of Mercy Hospital.
This critical healthcare facility is funded by private supporters from around the world. The fastest and easiest way to help is to make a quick one-time donation online or start a fundraising campaign to help provide the hospital’s team the support they need.
OTHER WAYS TO HELP
Make checks payable to Operation Broken Silence, write Hospital in the memo line, and mail to P.O. Box 770900 Memphis, TN, 38177-0900
