Sisa also wants the hospital to create mobile clinics to educate the population in remote villages about family planning and hygiene. In Africa, large families are seen as prestigious. But Sisa noted that in Kenya, birthrates have slowed among educated women. In Sudan, she insisted, the numbers have to come down.
"I know you are suffering after the war and want large families," Sisa told a group of nurses in training at the hospital. "But you can't build a big nation if the women are dead. You can't have women bearing this many children. It's not healthy."
Bang Akok at Rumbek Hospital with her baby girl and her aunt, Agoen Matheu. The baby's twin died before delivery.
(Emily Wax -- The Washington Post)
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_____Crisis in Sudan_____
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Q&A: Darfur A brief explanation of the issues and current humanitarian situation in Western Sudan.
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Photos: Continuing Crisis
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Photos: Sudan's Rebels
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A Former Rebel's Search for Sudanese Identity (The Washington Post, Feb 11, 2005)
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Sudan Offers War Crimes Trials (The Washington Post, Feb 9, 2005)
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Lack of Access Muddies Death Toll in Darfur (The Washington Post, Feb 8, 2005)
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Girls From Sudan's War Now Fight to Learn (The Washington Post, Feb 4, 2005)
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U.N. Report on Sudan Draws Mixed Reaction (The Washington Post, Feb 2, 2005)
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"Maybe try and stop at six," she said with a laugh, trying to gauge the reaction. Some women seemed to take her seriously, while others appeared to shrug her off.
Sisa has taken a particular interest in Akok's case. She warned Akok last year not to keep getting pregnant, but now she said she wishes she had visited Akok's village to speak with her husband and the other men.
But there was another problem with Akok's delivery. Near the end of the long walk to the hospital, she thought she was about to give birth, so her aunt started washing her with dirty water and using sticks to try to prod the babies out. She got an infection, which caused her boy's death before delivery.
"Never use unhygienic tools," Sisa reminded the group of apprentice nurses. "It's like shooting the mother and baby."
Back in the ward with Akok, Sisa clapped with happiness when she saw that Akok's heart was still beating. She was still losing blood, but there was more color in her face, and she stayed awake a few minutes before passing back into sleep.
During one of Akok's waking moments, Sisa leaned toward her and said: "No more babies. Really."
