Work In Ethiopia By N.Z. Doctors

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31774, 3 September 1968, Page 2

Work In Ethiopia By N.Z. Doctors

'•The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON, Sept. 1.

A New Zealand doctor and his wife whose work for women in an Ethiopian hospital has been praised by Emperor Haile Selassie returned to Wellington last week. They are Dr R. J. H. Hamlin and Dr Catherine Hamlin, consultant gynaecologists and obstetricians at the Addis Ababa Hospital.

Their work was mainly vaginal plastic surgery, Dr Hamlin said at the headquarters of C.0.R.5.0. when he called with his wife and 15-year-old son, Richard, to thank the organisation for assistance. From Napier Dr Hamlin is originally from Napier and his wife is an Australian. They were asked to go to Ethiopia by its Government They have been there for 10 years and will return later this month. Dr Hamlin said the alpine nature of Ethiopia was the reason for the need for the surgical work they carried out. Ethiopian mothers-to-be who suffered obstructed labours were the 5 per cent of women who needed medical attention but few were able to receive it It might take a week or more to carry such women to a hospital. “Ninety-five per cent of all labours are normal.

“But 5 per cent everywhere become obstructed

whether the women live in Wellington, London, New York or elsewhere.

“Imagine we are putting 1000 women in labour on stretchers and depositing them at Athletic Park, leaving them to fend for themselves.

“Ninety-five per cent would have delivered by the next day. “The other 5 per cent would labour on for days. “Some would die of a ruptured uterus, others of exhaustion, and a few would survive a week of misery alone, to produce a stillborn child, and would suffer-vagi-nal fistulas,” he said. Most Cured Young women with this distressing injury arrived daily at their wing of the Princess Tsahai Memorial Hospital, Dr Hamlin said. The condition caused them acute discomfort and misery After surgery most were able to leave hospital “new" women with hope for the future.

Most were penniless and had travelled weeks to reach medical help. Those who could not pay for treatment he paid for personally. He said his wife and he were deeply moved by the plight of once-attractlve young women who found their way to the hospital foi treatment.

By various grafting techniques he and his wife were able to send 90 to 95 per cent home again happy. “We have repaired 500 fistulas since we were last in New Zealand three years ago and over the last nine years well over 1000,” Dr Hamlin said. Dr Hamlin said his dream was that some day a person of great wealth would give money for a free hospital for

fistula cases and an air ambulance to bring women swiftly to help from remote areas of the country. Emperor Haile Selassie had contributed generously to- the work being done at the hospital.

“My wife and I share the work equally,” Dr Hamlin said.