‘We put sanitiser on top of the blood’: what a lack of water means for midwives in Malawi
Women, unable to clean themselves after giving birth, are forced to rip off bits of mattress to use as sanitary pads
24 May 2021 • 10:26am
Midwife Eunice Kalimbira is one of millions of health workers globally in health facilities without access to running water
Credit: WaterAid/ Dennis Lupenga
There is no water available at Eunice Kalimbira s hospital in Malawi, so the midwife can t wash the blood off her hands after she helps women giving birth.
Instead, she puts hand sanitiser on top of her bloodied hands, hoping that will keep her patients – and herself and her colleagues – safe.