This is the reason why our women die everyday

THE Raihu district hospital in West Sepik needs a doctor.
Our men, women and children cannot continue to die because of poor healthcare.
Beyond the doors of this ambulance lies two women both heavily pregnant and on their way in the early hours to a hospital.
The ambulance was parked beside a flooded river as the traffic waited for it to subside before they can try to cross.
They both hail from the remote hinterland of the Aitape Lumi district.
The women were being transferred because there was no doctor at the local Raihu district hospital to attend to them.
They were both doing their best to keep comfortable despite the cramped space in the vehicle. The chances of so many things going wrong at that moment was quite high.
Women like these die every day and the families often accept their losses and move on without very much else.
I held my breath and watched from the base of the washed-out bridge as the ambulance attempted to cross.
I could not bring myself to think of what might happen should their vehicle become stuck in the middle of the flooded river.
It turned out they crossed safely and made it to Wewak in time for the doctors there to deliver a set of twins from one of the mothers.
We might not be so lucky next time.

Judith Sirias