This archive report was first published on 12 July 2021.
Dr. Swabra Swaleh Briek, a dedicated gynaecologist, made headlines when a photo of her performing surgery while carrying her six-month-old baby on her back went viral. The incident occurred at Kalou District Hospital in Nyandarua County, where she was attending to an emergency cesarian delivery.
According to Dr. Briek, the hospital had a skeleton staff on the weekend, and she had no other support system. Her son was crying, and she had to make a difficult decision: leave him down or take him with her to the operating room.
“Government hospitals as we know, have skeleton staff during the weekends. My son was crying, do I leave him down as I do the surgery?” Dr. Briek stated.
Despite the challenges, Dr. Briek successfully performed the surgery, and her son slept throughout the procedure. She has since shared the photo with her son, now six years old, as she tells him about that historic day.
Dr. Briek, currently based at Premier hospital in Mombasa, emphasized the importance of maternal care and the unique risks associated with each pregnancy. She noted that hypertension is now the biggest cause of maternal mortality, surpassing bleeding after delivery.
The beautiful Dr. Swabra Swaleh in her hospital office
