Yichang doctor helps Algerian mom overcome difficulty in labor
2024-01-07 19:01:40
By Ma Yuhan, Yichang International Communication Studio
During the early hours of January 2, Hallal Zohra was facing danger in labor when Wan Xiaofang was given an urgent call. Yichang doctor Wan was working her first shift of the new year where she was assigned to the Makour Hamou hospital in the Ain Defla province of northern Algeria during a medical aid mission.
Having already delivered two children before, Hallal was now pregnant with twins. After delivering the first baby girl smoothly, the second, a boy, was stuck.
Once receiving the call for help, Wan quickly assessed Hallal’s condition and the position of the fetus in her uterus. The boy’s legs were not positioned properly for birth but for the safety of both the mother and child, Wan decided not to perform a caesarean section which she thought could have lead to death or injury. Instead, using her hand to adjust the position of the baby and gently grabbing his right leg, she carefully completed the delivery.
Wan, 48, is a chief obstetrician of Yichang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital and one of the 81 members of the 28th Chinese medical team to Algeria.
Wan started her two-year term in 2023, and this is her first time participating in a foreign medical aid mission. She is not only responsible for outpatient services but also for surgeries.
Wan Xiaofang with Hallal Zohra and her two babies.
Despite a heavy workload, Wan felt she was very much needed here. “It's been a dream to join the foreign aid works. My family has been very supportive of my decision," Wan said.
Since 1963, Hubei has dispatched 3,706 medical workers to Algeria and Lesotho, who have together worked to treat about 27.57 million patients, perform 1.75 million operations and deliver 2.08 million newborns.
Yichang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital contributed the original Chinese story for this report.
During the early hours of January 2, Hallal Zohra was facing danger in labor when Wan Xiaofang was given an urgent call. Yichang doctor Wan was working her first shift of the new year where she was assigned to the Makour Hamou hospital in the Ain Defla province of northern Algeria during a medical aid mission.
Having already delivered two children before, Hallal was now pregnant with twins. After delivering the first baby girl smoothly, the second, a boy, was stuck.
Once receiving the call for help, Wan quickly assessed Hallal’s condition and the position of the fetus in her uterus. The boy’s legs were not positioned properly for birth but for the safety of both the mother and child, Wan decided not to perform a caesarean section which she thought could have lead to death or injury. Instead, using her hand to adjust the position of the baby and gently grabbing his right leg, she carefully completed the delivery.
Wan, 48, is a chief obstetrician of Yichang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital and one of the 81 members of the 28th Chinese medical team to Algeria.
Wan started her two-year term in 2023, and this is her first time participating in a foreign medical aid mission. She is not only responsible for outpatient services but also for surgeries.
Wan Xiaofang with Hallal Zohra and her two babies.
Despite a heavy workload, Wan felt she was very much needed here. “It's been a dream to join the foreign aid works. My family has been very supportive of my decision," Wan said.
Since 1963, Hubei has dispatched 3,706 medical workers to Algeria and Lesotho, who have together worked to treat about 27.57 million patients, perform 1.75 million operations and deliver 2.08 million newborns.
Yichang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital contributed the original Chinese story for this report.
