For a positive pregnancy outcome, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that every pregnant woman has at least two sonographies. These should occur before 12 weeks to confirm pregnancy and after 28 weeks to identify any medical condition that needs sonography during pregnancy.
The Adaklu District is populated with mostly rural dwellers who survive on small-holder farming, animal rearing, and hunting. The over 86,649 residents according to 2021 population census, rely on 18 health facilities in the district. With a birth rate of 39.7%, only one of the facilities provides ultrasound services, making it difficult for pregnant women to access complete care services.
The absence of an ultrasound scan machine in health centers prevents a sizable number of mothers from receiving prompt and accurate diagnoses during their pregnancies. As a result, treatment is delayed or not even possible leading to death of mother or the unborn child.
In many cases, a pregnant woman must travel many kilometers outside the district to access ultrasound services. This can be extremely time-consuming, creating unnecessary financial burdens on families. In addition, all day travel over bumpy terrain poses severe threats to the health of the mother and unborn baby . These challenges defeat the targets of Universal Health Coverage under Sustainable Development Goal 3, ensuring that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering financial or physical hardships.
To enable pregnant women and girls to have access to ultrasound services without being referred out of the community or district, The Give Right Foundation, in collaboration with Friends of Adaklu (a local nonprofit organization) conducted an obstetrics ultrasound training for midwives and nurses in the EP Mimi Health Center in the Adaklu District in January 2024.
Seven midwives and five nurses were trained in the areas of number of gestations, fetal viability, placentation (previa), estimation of delivery date, and recognition of fetal structures such as gender and orientation.
The Give Right Foundation donated a butterfly handheld ultrasound device to the EP Mimi Health Center. The portable device is a new technology that makes it easier to provide ultrasound scan services for pregnant women. Now they can stay on top of the progress of their unborn babies. The ultrasound device is used with a tablet, which serves as a display screen for ultrasound images.
Frederik Heath, a Co-Founder of Give Right Foundation and President of the Ultrasound Student Association at University of California-Irvine, highlighted the importance of ultrasounds. Frederik noted that the training program and the gift of the portable handheld Butterfly ultrasound device served the most important need of the district, as posited by the residents. He said that the device would ultimately change the healthcare delivery narrative of the district because it would guide women during their pregnancy journeys and help give them the best of care.
The benefit of the project is that for the first time, these thousands of women can receive complete prenatal care and know when their baby is coming, know if the baby is a boy or girl, know if the baby is still alive. Most importantly for health outcomes, we have also trained the midwives to be able to detect placenta previa which is a life-threatening condition for both the mother and the baby. if the conditions are identified early, the mother and the baby would be saved through a cesarean section, within the earliest possible time.
As Co-Founder and President of the Give Right Foundation, Jean-Paul Sewavi, shared how enthusiastic he was about the project, which seeks to make childbirth a lot easier and more convenient for women in rural areas. He added that the project was of “personal significance” to him as he lost his mother due to pregnancy complications at a young age in his home community in the Republic of Togo.
It was all joy when pregnant women who had the opportunity to receive scan services during the training saw the images of their children, their sex, and their date of delivery for the first time.
To enhance service delivery, a gynecologist at Fountain Medical Services, Dr Wilson Agbavor will help with the interpretation of every scan taken with the Butterfly handheld ultrasound device. A Consultant Sonographer and Assistant Lecturer at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, UHAS, Swallah Alhaji Suraka will also work with the health workers at EP Mimi Health Center to build their capacity.
The Country Director of Friends of Adaklu, Madam Stella Kudah will continue to partner with Give Right Foundation to expand Ultrasound services within the health facilities in Adaklu District and beyond. The Butterfly handheld ultrasound device comes as a game changer, with residents hoping it could be extended to other health facilities in the Adaklu District.
The goal of our fundraiser is to acquire at least four Butterfly ultrasound devices for other health centers in Adaklu and Kpetoe Ziope Districts . This will enable pregnant women to have access to sonography services without being referred out of the Adaklu and Kpetoe Ziope district. All contributions will be directly transferred to the Give Right Foundation. The devices and the necessary accessories will be purchased from the Butterfly Network in California, USA, the company that gives the Give Right Foundation lifetime access to their software.
Estimated Costs:
- 4 Butterfly iQ+, includes the Butterfly IQ+ probe and wireless: $2,699/unit x 4 = $10,796
- Accessories: $500
- Training of 10 midwives & nurses: $500/trainee x 10 = $5,000
- GOAL: $16,296