Stories & News

Rachel Coyle, who works as the midwife supervisor at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)'s Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) in Taiz Houban, southern Yemen, shares her experience in delivering twins while reflecting on the persistent challenges of Yemeni pregnant women and mothers as they strive to access essential maternal healthcare services.

In Jahun, northern Nigeria, women and girls are admitted daily to the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders) maternity department intensive care unit with life-threatening complications in pregnancy or childbirth. Registered critical care nurse, Theophilus Tyonongu, has followed in his parents’ footsteps to bring his skills and compassion to the unit’s lifesaving work.   

Pregnant women from refugee communities in Malaysia have limited access to adequate maternal healthcare services, such as antenatal and postnatal care, skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric care, and family planning services, leading to a high rate of maternal mortality. 

Decades of instability and armed violence in Central African Republic (CAR) have contributed to essential medical care being out of reach for many pregnant women and newborn babies. Overshadowed by the security situation in the country, tackling this everyday emergency is a priority for MSF teams.  

Médecins Sans Frontières/ Doctors Without Borders (MSF) officially launched medical activities in the equatorial Pacific island nation of Kiribati in October 2022. Our team there, including a paediatrician, midwife and general practitioner, support the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes.

MSF teams have mobilised to provide medical assistance to people fleeing intense violence in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Since attacks began March, hundreds of people have fled the coastal city of Palma to nearby towns in search of safety - most fleeing by foot and hiding in the bush for days.

Earlier this week MSF has decided to end activities and withdraw from Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, following the brutal May 12 attack in which 16 women were systematically shot dead in the maternity ward. Among those killed were 15 mothers and an MSF midwife, Maryam Noorzad. The attackers also killed two young children and six other people present at the time of the attack.

A consortium of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and academic institutes that advocate for universal access to sexual and reproductive health services are calling on the Australian Government to prioritise the needs of women and girls in Australia’s global response to COVID-19 in order to mitigate the detrimental effects the pandemic is having on their sexual and reproductive health and rights.