Heaven and Hell: Inside the Maternity Ward of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar

Soundings

Producer: Megan Calfas After delivering one child, the Head Nurse Nassara turns around, changes her gloves, and delivers another. In Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar, 30-50 babies are born a day. Often, in the maternity ward, there are only 3-4 nurses working at a time. As the largest public hospital in Zanzibar, Mnazi Mmoja faces the island’s high rate of maternal mortality head on, yet, the root of the problem is hard to uncover--it’s tangled up in a much larger system. This piece would not be possible without the Program in Global Health Technologies at Boston University led by Dr. Zaman, the Stanford Storytelling Project, and the kindness of everyone at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital. Music: Rui -- “Caress me to Sleep”, “Selbstheilend”, “No sudden movements”, Johnny Ripper --”Nicolas”, Orbique-- “Simple”, Cuban Cowboys-- “Outro”