May 8, 2020 DHOBLEY, Somalia – Eight months ago, few people had hope that Naima Mohamed Baale would live. The two-year-old had tipped over a pot of boiling water that was on a fire at the family’s home in Hosingo town, Jubaland State.
By the time her mother got to her, Naima had been severely scalded and was in excruciating pain. Doctors said she suffered burns to 45 percent of her body which, at her tender age, was life threatening.
The father, Mohamed Baale, said he first took Naima to Dhobley General Hospital but given how extensive the burns were, he nearly lost hope. It broke his heart, nonetheless, to see his little girl suffer with what must have been indescribable pain as she was undergoing treatment at the hospital. Unfortunately, Dhobley General Hospital lacked expertise in the treatment and management of severe burns.
“When I brought her to Dhobley General Hospital she was in a very critical condition and I thought I was going to lose her. The first three months she was in hospital were the worst. I almost gave up on her,” the father says.
HOW HELP ARRIVED
Naima’s luck turned on October 3, 2019.
A week into her stay at Dhobley General Hospital, a team of officers from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) came to visit Dhobley General Hospital as part of a medical outreach program. After seeing how critical her condition was, they immediately recommended Naima’s transfer to AMISOM’s level II Hospital, also in Dhobley.
That is when her journey to recovery started in earnest. But it took seven, long, months. She underwent an escharotomy surgery; a procedure used to treat third-degree burns on the skin and it involves incising through areas of burnt skin. Maj Dr. Ephantus Munyoki, who took part in the surgery and care of Naima, said apart from the escharotomy surgery, Naima underwent several other procedures including blood transfusion.
“She had 45 per cent total body surface area burns. We took her through successive surgeries which involved the removal of scarred tissue. In her case the scarred tissues were also infected,” Dr. Munyoki said.
Part of Naima’s care and management included weekly cleaning and dressing of her wounds to keep off infections and quicken the healing process.
JOURNEY HOME
Thanks to the care and specialized treatment at the AMISOM level II hospital, seven months later, baby Naima was happy, healthy and ready to go home.
Lieutenant Colonel David Ndung’u, AMISOM level 2 hospital Commandant said Naima’s case was the first case of serious burns they had treated. For him, the quality of care and dedication to Naima is an enduring example of AMISOM’s mission to provide such lifesaving intervention in Somalia.
The day that Naima was discharged from hospital was emotional, sad and happy. AMISOM personnel who had dedicated themselves to Naima for seven months were emotional and sad to see her go, for she had become one of them, but were also very happy that their little nomad girl had been successfully nursed back to good health.
So, on that day, AMISOM staff threw Naima a farewell party, baked her a big cake and sent her off with gifts. In the yard of Level 2 Hospital is a tree that was planted in her honour, to remember her bravery in fighting through and her infectious smile that won over everyone.
The Dhobley District Health Coordinator, Noor Bihi Osman, who was at Naima’s farewell, thanked AMISOM for their unwavering support in health, education, security and humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia.
“She was in a bad condition when we brought her and we did not think she was going to survive. They saved her life,” Osman said.
“We got excellent care and treatment here”, Naima’s father said. “My daughter has fully recovered and I am happy that I can now take her home.”
Source: AMISOM
