A Hospital By The River

Australian gynaecologists Catherine and Reg Hamlin arrived in Addis Ababa in 1959 on a short contract to establish a midwifery school. Over 30 years later, Catherine is still there, running one of the most outstanding medical programs in the world. Through this work tens of thousands of Ethiopian women have been able to resume a normal existence after living as outcasts, often for more than half their lives.

These women endured obstructed labours. Such labours occur in about five per cent of all deliveries. In the first world they're easily dealt with by assisted delivery of caesarean section, yet in the developing world they are often catastrophic. As a result of prolonged or obstructed labour not only does the baby die, but the woman's bladder or vagina is torn, in some instances such tearing occurs to the rectum too. These tears are called fistulas, and the result is a constant leaking from either the bladder, or rectum into the vagina. Soiled and helpless, the women are abandoned by their husbands and often left to beg, or scavenge.

The Hamlins dedicated their lives to these women, pioneering new surgery and opening their own fistula hospital in 1974. After Reg's death, Catherine has continued their work. Now, she writes about their extraordinary lives and the stories of hope and courge that surround their hospital. Her book is a testament to the power of healing and dedication, and reveals the hidden suffering of millions of women in developing countries.