Rural obstetric ultrasound training started in Dhaulagiri Hospital

By Ram Krishna Bohara, Baglung, Apr.7: A rural obstetric ultrasound training site has been brought into operation at Dhaulagiri Provincial Hospital, Baglung. It is the first training site in the province and third in the country. 

It provides a basic level of obstetric ultrasound training to nurses at rural birthing centers to detect any pregnancy issues earlier and to solve them. 

Dr Prabin Ghimire, Consultant Radiologist at Dhaulagiri Provincial Hospital, said that after the Skilled Birth Attendant (SBA) trained nursing staff working in remote areas undergo this training, it will be easier for them to deliver babies and help reduce maternal mortality.

He said, ", SBA nursing staff can use video X-rays to determine whether the baby is breech, how much fluid is in the baby's stomach, and the baby's heartbeat after 21 days of training. This will help pregnant women in remote areas who do not have access to doctors to identify complex problems timely and seek treatment, thus saving the lives of both mother and child."

Chief Medical Superintendent Dr Kiran Tiwari said, "After the training, nurses will be able to conduct ultrasound of pregnant mothers themselves to determine the condition of the baby and whether it will be easy to deliver, and whether referral is necessary."

Six female health workers working in rural areas of Gandaki Province have completed the first phase of 21-day training.

The Provincial Health Training Center, Pokhara, stated that training will be conducted in three phases at Dhaulagiri Provincial Hospital in the current fiscal year.

Inaugurating the training, Gandaki Province Health Minister Krishna Prasad Pathak said that the training site would be fruitful in reducing maternal mortality in the province and improving the health of pregnant mothers.

Minister Pathak said that the training site was launched with the aim of reducing the mortality rate by training health workers from rural health institutions, as 161 maternal mortality deaths occur annually in Gandaki Province.