Chinese doctors end South Sudanese mother's nightmares

Lydia Ikisa who had endured several nightmares due to three miscarriages lauded members of the eighth batch of Chinese medical team for helping her realize her dream of giving birth.

Ikisa, a South Sudanese national and mother of seven children, is among some women in the youngest nation who suffer birth complications.

"I aborted three times, that means I have lost three children in a row through miscarriage," Ikisa said.

In 2017, she paid a visit to Chinese medical doctors in Juba Teaching Hospital when she was pregnant.

The Chinese doctors then provided her with treatment to support her uterus during pregnancy to avoid another miscarriage. The efforts paid off.

Ikisa gave birth to her sixth child who is now two years old.

The eighth batch of Chinese medical doctors have helped with the same treatment that allowed her to give birth to her seventh child.

South Sudan has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world with about 90 children out of 1,000 dying before they reach the age of five, according to charity Save the Children.

"During the third month of my pregnancy, the doctors controlled my uterus to avoid miscarriage and after eight months I gave birth," she said, referring to her sixth child.

"The Chinese are helping us a lot," said Ikisa.

"I appreciate Chinese doctors for the work they are doing. They help people for free and I also appreciate the government for that partnership," she added.

Sun Yangchun, a gynecologist with the Chinese medical team who supported Ikisa to give birth this year, said she is very happy that Ikisa gave birth after treating her.

"I am very happy to have helped this woman to deliver a healthy baby girl. I am one of the people who carried out a surgical operation on this woman. We monitored this woman during her pregnancy until she gave birth to the baby," said Sun.

She said that reproductive health is very important to South Sudanese women who experience such birth complications like Ikisa.

"During the months we have stayed here, we have met a lot of patients with reproductive problems. Some of them cannot get pregnant and we have treated some of these patients but she is the first case to give birth in such a short time," said Sun.

She said the team will continue to help other women in the future with similar health complications.

Du Juan, a Chinese nurse who worked with her colleague to treat Ikisa, said that as a mother she is happy to support her fellow mothers in South Sudan.

"I was involved in the operation from the beginning until the end, and as a mother I am very happy for this woman to give birth to her baby successfully," said Du.

Xinhua