Seed Grant Awardee Spotlight

MAWIEN MAWIEN ARIK, SOUTH SUDAN

Mawein, a medical doctor, identified the need to  prevent maternal morbidity and mortality through early diagnosis and appropriate treatment/ early referral of the most fetal hypertensive disorders in pregnancy amongst pregnant women  in Lou Ariik village through his work at the University of Bahr el Ghazal- Medical School. He believes that quality health care during prenatal, perinatal and postnatal are important interventions for preventing maternal and new-born mortality and morbidity.

Safe motherhood principle emphasizes that every pregnant woman should be in position to carry a healthy pregnancy and safely deliver a healthy baby at the end of her pregnancy.  It is also an important social and economic investment and as well a matter of human rights and social justice that leverages on the fact that every pregnancy faces risk that could potentially be low or high. However, statistics in Africa show that the risk of a pregnant woman dying of hypertensive disorder is one in 16.

In the last two years, Dr. Mawien and other doctors at the clinic  observed that women die due to complications of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia that is diagnosed late.  The Enhancing Safe Motherhood project reached 200 pregnant women and girls to sensitize them on the dangers of hypertension in pregnancy and screened them for the same.  One thousand resource materials with health information were also distributed to the community of Lou Arik village. The aim was to reduce the number of at risk pregnant women and girls in the community.

Dr. Mawien will continue implementing the project with the aim of reducing the maternal morbidity rate for women and girls in his community.