Chad Chatter: Here’s to the babies in a brand new world

The first baby born in the new unit on the 2nd December 2015

The Official opening of the

Guinebor II Maternity Centre

and the

5^th anniversary of the hospital

9th December 2015

Let the day begin : The Call

(Control right 4 music)

Here's to the ladies who prepared the food

6:00 am Rebecca, Odette and their team arrive early, but there is plenty to do. They plan to cut, boil and then pan fry 35kg of meat purchased the evening before in a huge upon an open fire in the back garden. The potatoes, and prawn crackers will be cooked in our kitchen. The savoury donuts were made in advance. Will it all be ready in time? 10:30

Here’s to the team who made the plan

7:00 Pastor Djibrine has already organised the canopy and chairs for 200 people and has gone in search of blocks of ice (20X20X80cm) for the soft drinks ice buckets.

7:30 Helen and Andrea work with the midwives to make the maternity tidy and get one room ready for viewing with the CTG, oxygen concentrator, oximeter and BP machine.

08:00 Ndilmbaye arrives and confirms that the Minister will attend in person, in collaboration with their secretaries, he has written the speeches for the officials. The sound system has arrived with a friend from church who runs a small business that has also supplied the polo shirts, banners and he will be the master of ceremonies, whilst Ndilmabaye will receive the guests and make sure everything goes to plan.

Here’s to the police who help keep the peace

08:00 The eight armed police from a team who are specially trained for this role arrive, along with a couple of local policemen. They are on the gates along with our usual unarmed guards and also around the perimeter of the new unit. A sad necessity for these days of heightened security.

Here’s to the staff with healing hands

08:00 The staff come for work as usual as the work of the hospital must go on. Outpatients are always less on a Wednesday, and the only change from normal is that the morning operating and the antenatal clinic are cancelled. A bit of extra cleaning is required, and everyone helps out. Staff who are day off or on holiday come in for the fete as well, and all except emergency staff will pause and take their places just before the Minister arrives.

09:00 The maternity is not busy but one baby is born, ready to be a star on TV later in the day

Here’s to the guests who shared our joy

09:00: The first guests arrive and are shown to their seats, by half past nine the District and Regional Medical Officers are here plus representatives from the government hospitals, national and regional pharmacies, and the W.H.O. The TV crew arrives in the hospital ambulance with all their equipment.

.09:30 The mayor of Ndjamena North arrive with his personal body guard who is wearing a surgical mask against the dust.

09:45 We heard by phone that the minister has been busy in meetings and has not yet arrived at the Ministry on the far side of the city and will let us know when he sets off. This is very good news as the food is not ready, but will be in half an hour or so. Also people are still arriving including many local chiefs and Imams and many women who help with the maternity outreach program in the villages. There are representatives from the Evangelical alliance of missions and churches and our own home church EET no2 Francophone at Farcha. There is a real buzz about the place the music is playing and last minute preparations are underway.

Here’s to the Minister lending his support

10:30 The Minister arrives, and his route is lined by staff looking smart in their Maternite Sans Risque shirts and the midwives in their special outfits for the day. The speeches are delivered by the Mayor, Mark, Andrea and the District Medical Officer. The latter gives a very positive speech telling the Minisiter how we are well integrated into the local health services and that we could do with some help, notably with personnel and an all terrain 4X4 ambulance. The Minister replied saying that Maternal/Child health is the number one priority both of the President and himself and that the doors of his office are open wide to us and he will help anyway he can.

Here’s to all who worked so hard

Thanks were expressed to Aaron and his team of builders, the architects and everyone who contributed time and gifts to the project

Here’s to the party and the fun we had

After the cutting of the ribbon, tour of the unit and the inevitable politician with baby pictures for the TV (and there isn’t even an election on) we shared a meal, the meat cooked to perfection. As I escorted the Minister back to the car I found that we share a common language, English. He had studied at an Arabic University in Jordan and is more at ease in English than French.

Here’s to the babies in the brand new world

There have been 4200 babies born at Guinebor in the first 5 years, the conditions were cramped and inadequate, some women had to labour on a mattress on the floor, and only one delivery room. Now thanks to your generosity we have a new spacious unit with 4 labour ward beds and 4 equipped delivery rooms. It really is a brand new world for an expected further 10 000 babies that will be born here over the next 5 years. A real cause for celebration and a dance.

Here’s to you my little loves

With blessings from above,

Now let the day begin,

The day begin,

Let the day start.