Keren is the second largest city in Eritrea and is located approximately 80 km from the capital Asmara in the province of Anseba. ARCHEMED has already helped to set up a small neonatal care unit in the local reference hospital in 2010 and has been supporting this project ever since by training nurses and doctors and improving infrastructure, such as the supply of electricity and water.
At the same time, plans were developed to combine the care of premature and sick newborns with obstetrics under one roof. The idea of a ‘perinatology centre’ was born. In 2012, the Eritrean Minister of Health herself laid the foundation stone for the construction of a large new mother-and-child clinic, which was finally handed over to the Eritreans and put into operation in December 2022 after more than 12 years of construction.
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The Keren Perinatal Centre offers pregnant women the opportunity to give birth safely and, if necessary, provides immediate and appropriate intensive medical care for sick newborns or premature babies. This mother-and-child clinic, with its close proximity to obstetrics and neonatal medicine, is unique in Eritrea, a country where most births still take place at home. More than 3,000 pregnant women can give birth here every year, with the option of an emergency caesarean section available around the clock thanks to a dedicated caesarean section operating theatre. The neonatal ward has 30 treatment places for premature and newborn babies. Sick babies who come from outside are also treated here. In the event of an infection, there is an isolation room to prevent the risk of infection.
The ARCHEMED team consists of paediatricians, paediatric nurses, obstetricians and midwives. The two-week assignments take place at least twice a year in order to communicate the idea of interdisciplinary care for pregnant women and newborns in the best possible way. ARCHEMED trains and supports local teams in obstetrics, neonatology and anaesthesia in developing their collaboration around the birth. Cross-team conferences, case discussions and joint emergency drills are important components of this interdisciplinary care concept, which is new in Eritrea. In addition, we are working with all three specialist departments to improve their medical equipment and ensure that the devices are used correctly. A medical technician regularly accompanies the medical teams on their missions to train the Eritrean staff in the maintenance and care of the modern equipment.
The close support and training of our Eritrean colleagues in the new clinic was planned for two years and will initially come to an end in November 2024. Special training and further education in the field of neonatal medicine and obstetrics are follow-up projects that we will offer at the request of the Eritreans and in consultation with them.
Project management
Neonatology:
Dr Matthias Röbbelen, paediatrician, Schliengen
Obstetrics:
Dr Heiner Hölting, gynaecologist and obstetrician, Warstein
