News & Stories

Sierra Leone has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, making it one of the most dangerous places for women to give birth. The country sees 1,120 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births—a number that far outpaces the global average of 211. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Unchain, a new podcast miniseries from Partners In Health, explores Sierra Leone’s history—slavery, colonialism, civil war—and its impact on mental health through the 200-year story of its oldest psychiatric hospital. 

When a woman in labor arrives in a maternity ward with signs of obstetric distress, health care workers face a crucial choice: whether to pursue an emergency c-section. Because as soon as they decide a c-section is needed, it’s a race against the clock. 

“Limitless,” said Nurse-Midwife Isata Dumbuya, describing the access she had to blood as a clinician working for the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. “As many units as you needed would be available at the drop of a hat.