#Aftermath# Of #Ebola# which is Turning #midwives# into #surgeons# in #Liberia#

Liberian midwives are being trained as surgeons to assume the role of maternal health doctors killed by Ebola.

Before the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, the country had a total of 50 doctors for its population of 4.3 million.

In comparison, there are 50 doctors available to every 100,000 people in the US.

This, taken together with Liberia's extremely high maternal mortality rate, which sees three women dying every day, means the health system is buckling under the strain.  

Many deaths would be preventable with simple surgery and adequate equipment. A chronic lack of doctors, however, means that many maternity wards are overstretched and understaffed.

source: Aljazeera