06 March 2000

Bonn, Germany: UNV specialists in Niger support government efforts to improve health conditions and the overall well-being of communities. Local people say these medical professionals fit in well where they work and make a real difference. Their services are in great demand in Diffa, Tillabéry, Zinder, Tahoua, Loga and the capital, Niamey.

Dr. Zariiat Djabrailova, or Zara as she is known by her colleagues, is an obstetrician/gynecologist. At the maternity hospital at Tassigui, a regional referral centre 500 kilometres north-east of Niamey, the UN Volunteer performs an average of 47 operations a month on patients coming from surrounding districts of Konni, Madaoua and Bouza.

Each month, Zara spends three days in each district checking on patients. When serious medical cases crop up, patients are taken to Tassigui to take advantage of better equipment. She also provides district doctors with training in emergency obstetrics and surgery. If the blood bank runs dry, she takes her own car and races between medical posts until she finds serum. She already saved the life of a comatose patient that way.

Aside from her challenging medical tasks, the UNV assumes a social role as well. "Women in difficulty come to tell me their problems, and some are in tears," she says, adding that an important part of her daily work is to provide information to help keep risk pregnancies in check.

Dr. Guy Massiala-Loumbou of Congo-Brazzaville is the second-in-charge gynecologist and surgeon in Loga, a small, isolated town some 140 kilometres north-east of Niamey. Since taking up his assignment, all of his operations have succeeded. This has led to a high level of confidence in the Centre. A local official was pleased to report that since the arrival of the UNV doctor, medical evacuations of high-risk patients to other hospitals have stopped.

Dr. Jean-Claude Munongo from Congo-Kinshasa and Nurse Solange Yvonne Razafiniary from Madagascar make up the UNV team staffing the United Nations Dispensary in Niamey, where UN personnel working in the West African country can receive treatment. They also conduct laboratory tests and organize vaccination campaigns. The doctor and nurse also give out information on hygiene, family planning, sexually-transmitted diseases and AIDS. The Dispensary has seen an increase in its caseload to an average of 14 a day.