Christian Outreach and Innovation: The Staff, UMC Health and Maternity Center, Kissy.

Dr. Foday Sesay, Medical Officer

Dr. Foday Sesay, a native of Freetown , is the newest and youngest doctor at Kissy Hospital . Before coming to the hospital Dr. Sesay worked for a year-and-a-half at a local government hospital in Freetown . He is happy at his new work site and especially appreciates the leadership of Dr. Marke and the organized nature of the hospital. Dr. Sesay’s additional hope for the hospital would be to have a specialized pediatric unit, as well as an x-ray machine and a reliable drug supply.

Janet Miu, Head Midwife, Maternity Ward

Janet Mui, Head Midwife, Maternity Ward Janet Miu has delivered more babies than she can remember. A skilled and educated midwife, Ms. Miu was invited by Dr. Marke in 1996 to establish a new unit at the hospital that would focus on maternal health while addressing the high rate of maternal morbidity in Sierra Leone . Today, the Maternity Ward, which began with just three patients, is now the busiest department at Kissy Center.

With her warm smile and a take-charge attitude, Ms. Miu starts each day by working her way through the ward’s small but overflowing units – prenatal, delivery and the new mother clinics. She knows the name of every mother and checks in on the latest additions to the ward. In a typical day she will deliver upwards of 10 babies, all within the confines of a small room that holds only two examination tables. Ms. Miu also performs forceps deliveries and vacuum extraction as needed. On particularly busy days, Ms. Miu has to deliver babies on the floor for lack of bed space. She has even been known to spend the night in the ward with an anxious expectant mother.

Ms. Miu and her staff work very hard to provide comprehensive and holistic care for their patients. They partner with the hospital’s ‘Friends’ Unit and the Prevention-of-Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) Program for HIV-positive pregnant women. Another unit, the Nutrition Program, identifies and then feeds malnourished mothers and their children with a special protein-based meal. When she isn’t working in the delivery room, Ms. Miu is hosting a new-natal clinic for new mothers, teaching mothers about the dangers of malnutrition, and how to maintain the best overall care for their children.

Ms. Miu, a loving aunt to 20 nieces and nephews, loves children and relishes her job in the maternity ward. “I love my job. We have so many patients here, day and night but no maternal deaths in three years. I am very proud of this.”

Kadiatu “Kadie” Sesay, Coordinator, Nutrition Program

Watching her family struggle with medical issues when she was young, Kadiatu “Kadie” Sesay decided early on that she would dedicate her life to helping others. A missionary family in the US financially supported her dream of attending college, where she earned her nursing degree.

Ms. Sasey first worked in the maternity ward when she started working at Kissy Center . There she noticed weak mothers giving birth to sickly children, all because the mothers were poor, did not have enough food, and did not know how to provide a balanced diet of essential vitamins and proteins to their families. Ms. Sasey knew that weak, malnourished patients could not fight the diseases that riddled the community.

In 2003, with the support of the hospital administrator, Dr. Dennis H. Marke, Ms. Sasey founded the Kissy Hospital Nutrition Program. She was determined to fight malnutrition and hunger, and aggressively began educating hospital patients and the people in the community about malnutrition, or kwashiorkor. Ms. Sasey then created a protein-rich, lentil-based meal that she could give to her Nutrition Program patients, which would supplement their diet with essential fats and vitamins. Since that time Ms. Sasey has served- and saved the lives of hundreds of sick children and their families.

Ms. Sasey’s determination and caring spirit have earned her the respect of the community and her colleagues at Kissy Hospital . A mother of three, Ms. Sasey spends two hours a day traveling on foot and by public transportation to get to work. Though she could work at the local government hospital, a short distance from her home, she prefers UMC Kissy Health and Maternity Center . “This is where I’m supposed to be,” she says. “This is where I want to be.”

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