A revisit to: Hellen Hadia
Hellen studied at Maridi Health Sciences Institute, a training institute supported by Amref Health Africa in South Sudan. It trains most of the South Sudanese nursing and midwifery workforce. Watch here to see more of Hellen's story.
Since she graduated in summer 2022, Hellen has been posted on placement to various primary health facilities around South Sudan. Most recently, she was posted to Mvolo County Hospital in Lake State. She is now the midwife-in-charge of the maternity unit.
On a visit to her in July 2024, she explained that although her job brings her great joy, she faces incredible challenges to ensure the health of her patients and the wider community.
Besides the [doctor’s room, maternity room, nursing department, paediatric room] we have a drug store. This is where we keep medical supplies, though it is empty now.
Impact of conflict on healthcare
The conflict in Sudan has stopped all oil coming into the country, the main source of government revenue. Without government reserves, health workers are not being paid—and have not been since February 2024—and health facilities are running on empty.
Hellen and her colleagues are still working. In fact, in spite of the challenges, they are making progress.
We have achievements in life in that we have increased number of deliveries [at the facility] now. Mothers, with the services we are offering them, they really appreciate it. So we find that they are now turning up.
The number has increased from the previous years. So [since] the time we started working here, when I was posted here to work, I have realised the great changes in that the number of deliveries keeps increasing every month, and also we don’t register any maternal mortality cases in this facility.
This has really encouraged us and motivated us to work [harder]. And there are very many other achievements that we have realised. Cases of sicknesses are reduced now since we are able to detect them earlier and [respond] to them.
Midwives are changemakers
Hellen is a changemaker in her community. Training has empowered her with the knowledge and skills she needs to keep mothers and their babies safe and healthy, and to get the brightest start in life.
Read the story of Miriam Joseph and her son Joel, whom Hellen helped to deliver back in 2022, in Maridi when she was a student midwife.
"Who is the change? I am."
Hellen says that midwives play a critical role not just for medical support, but also for emotional support, of mothers.
"Mothers, during pregnancy they go through a lot. Because pregnancy itself causes a lot of changes in the body. And there's no need [for] only the medical aspect of giving drugs and so forth, it needs emotional kind of support, in that you need to [...] Like, the counselling itself is a healing, [...] And this is only done by midwives."
She recently helped a first-time mother - Mariline Gisma - pictured with Hellen above, who said that the support she received from Hellen helped her to give birth safely in a facility.
"I was afraid because it is first time for me to [give birth] and to have a pregnancy that I was scared. So I decided to call her [Hellen]. Immediately she came and she said that I would be fine. And I spent something like two days here in the hospital. Then she also gave for me a referral, then I went to Mapuordit so I delivered well, the baby's fine. And the baby is also a baby girl. Her name is Hadia [after Hellen Hadia]."
Images: (banner) Hellen Hadia stands outside the maternity ward at Mvolo County Hospital (c) Amref Health Africa/Steve Kagia; Hellen Hadia sits with Mariline Girma and her new baby girl Miska Hadia outside at Mvolo County Hospital (c) Amref Health Africa/Steve Kagia
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