Birthing a new NICU

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Last December, the medical director from a local primary hospital, St Mary's Dubbo Catholic Primary Hospital, contacted us about helping them start a newborn unit at their hospital.  We were honored to be able to help them. In their hospital they have up to 10 deliveries a day, and didn't have a dedicated newborn unit/NICU. They also only have general practitioners at their hospital. There is no family medicine physician, pediatrician or obstetrician at their hospital. Their medical director coordinated with us to send on of their general practitioner doctors, who was only a few months out of medical school, and three nurses. After being trained at SCH they would be tasked to run the newborn unit in their hospital.

We have been able to help with their training, donate some supplies, and bring their GP for further training to an excellent NICU conference in Tanzania. 

They launched their new department earlier this year. It has been such an encouragement to see the work of our hospital and our neonatal unit multiply.

I have been reflecting how almost EVERY day in clinic I see young children that come in with cerebral palsy caused by being born with a difficult delivery and poor access to advanced obstetric or neonatal care. It is really hard, especially because access to disability services, therapy, wheelchairs, educational programs for these children is so limited in this country. Prevention and access to quality maternity and neonatal care is the key. There is no cure for this type of cerebral palsy, only prevention, and living with CP is a huge challenge for the whole family.

We have been studying Mark in our NICU staff bible study. We have been reading about the feeding of the 5,000, then the feeding of the 4,000. Then the disciples only had one loaf of bread for the 12 of them and were complaining that they would not have enough to eat. 

At times I feel discouraged and like the disciples, seeing the good work in front of me, yet discouraged by all the need that I am physically unable to provide. The Lord multiplied the loaves and the fishes. So I pray, Lord, help me not to be discouraged or lack faith in the face of great need and help me to remember your great compassion and mercy that is new every morning.


 
In green, 3/4 of the staff they sent to us for training, with Geremew (white coat) and Dr Yadiel (blue)
Pictures of their newly launched NICU. This is the same room from different angles.


 

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