Past President Tracy Bray introduced Dr. Ruth Mathieson, Co-Chair of the International Committee, a Rotarian who has touched many lives through Rotary and as a family physician in Belleville. Dr. Ruth is steadfast and dedicated to helping people and has for many years, locally and all over the world. Ruth took the lead on a District Grant for much needed equipment at the Matangwe Hospital in Kenya, Africa. The hospital is located in an area of 10 km in radius with a population of 10,000 people, an area made of primarily of mud and rocks. There is no road to speak of. People live in poverty in a weak economy with fishing as their livelihood. Ruth has visited and worked at the hospital a number of times since 2006, when HIV was rampant with 33% of the population suffering from the disease. The mortality rate was high with thirteen deaths every single week when Ruth first went there. Dr. Ruth went to work and an HIV clinic was built using two boxcars and a transportation van arrived in 2016, a second-hand van that had room for a stretcher and other medical items. Following the pandemic, the community center re-opened as a delivery ward with six beds and specialized cots for premature babies, followed by a post-partem ward with an additional six beds. The maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate was the highest in the area and the WHO goal was to reduce maternal deaths from 695 per 100,000 live births to 70 and to reduce infant deaths from 111 per 1,000 live births to 12. In 2021, 250 women delivered at Matangwe Hospital with professional help. This represents 50% with the rest referred to a specialist, lost in follow-up or delivering at home with traditional birth attendance. It became apparent it was safer to keep women at the hospital pre-birth, during birth and following birth.
When Dr. Ruth applied for a District Grant, the cost of needed equipment came to $25,000 and included a glostavent anaesthetic machine @ $6,000, an oxygenator @ $2,500, oximeter @ $500 and resusitaire platform @ $1,500, O.R. light @ $4,500, a portable ECG machine @ $3,000, an isolette/incubator @ $3,000, two sets of surgical instruments and insurance and shipping. Portable anaesthesia machines are in great demand for use in poorly resourced locations and by emergency response teams. An oxygen concentrator generates 95% pure oxygen from room air. These devices can ensure a reliable oxygen supply in hospitals instead of relying solely on cylinders of compressed gas. The oximeter is a simple monitoring device that measure oxygen saturation in the blood stream to improve patient safety during anaesthesia. Six (5) Rotary Clubs in Canada donated to the grant as well as District 7070 for a total of $19,000. Los Altos California donated $5,000 U.S. Dollars for total monies raised of $25,700.
Dr. Ruth thanked the Rotary Club of Belleville for their support every time she visited Africa. The money given to her went towards basic equipment such as thermometers, medication, blood pressure cups. 1.4 million people are infected with HIV, 4% being adults with 35,000 new cases each year, 78% of those people are on viral therapy and can live a normal life thanks to the work of so many in the medical field.
Rotarian Terry Thomas thanked Ruth for her tremendously moving presentation. Healthcare and humanitarian needs are her passions, here and around the world. This grant shows the power of Rotary. Dr. Ruth has been able to do two District Grants at Matangwe and rounded up six Rotary Clubs in Ontario as well as one in California to support the grant project. Ruth works very hard, made contacts, volunteered for over ten years at this hospital, used her expertise as a doctor to make connections with medical colleagues. A great Rotarian at work. Learn from the best to help the most needy in the world.