The "miracle" of scans in Africa

26/04/2010 10:12:01

I remember when I was recently in Nairobi ,Kenyan asked me if it was true that in my country people knew the baby's sex before birth. With a smile on the verge of becoming a laugh I said yes, it was true that in Spain and in many other countries it is common to know the sex of unborn baby before birth. I also explained that we found out via a technique called ultrasound. He replied that for him it was not technology but a miracle.

It was mid-2008 and still I was not aware of the dismal state of African health system, where millions of children and adults die from causes as simple as the lack of diagnosis or vaccination, cholera or diarrhea. A year and a half later, I know that the 'extravagance' of bothering to know the sex of the baby or whether the fetus comes with complications by ultrasound is a matter of a few.

Now, in Korogocho, one of many suburbs surrounding Nairobi, the miracle of ultrasound, is possible through the efforts of Moses Okoth and his newly released clinical Rehema Healthcare Organization. With support, training and financing of the Spanish Foundation and Dr. Digna Africa Spanish Albert Bossy, Moses has just opened the doors of the first clinic / NGO that makes prenatal diagnosis at a price considerably less than the market price: it costs 25 euros in any one of the few private hospitals in Nairobi who have this technology.