Profile/ Dr Dédé Kafui Benedicta Amewoui: devoting her life to saving mothers and babies

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Extract from the article: At the heart of life, gynaecologists and obstetricians look after women's health and accompany births, important moments in life. Their expertise covers the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the female reproductive system, as well a

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At the heart of life, gynaecologists and obstetricians look after women's health and accompany births, important moments in life. Their expertise covers the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the female reproductive system, as well as monitoring pregnancies and childbirth. Dr Dédé Kafui Benedicta Amewoui is a leading figure in gynaecology and obstetrics in Togo. Her dedication as a woman in charge of a health facility and her passion for her profession are evident from the very first words she utters: ‘I love my job’. A vocation born of personal experience, marked by a childhood spent within the walls of the CHU Sylvanus Olympio and a surgical operation in Switzerland thanks to ‘Terre des Hommes’.

She chose to specialise in gynaecology and obstetrics, a field where there was a crying need in Togo. ‘I noticed that in Togo, especially in Lomé, everyone gives birth, everyone delivers babies. Without being trained, there are huts and birthing centres that are setting records for maternal deaths’, she explains. This reality, combined with her attraction to medicine and surgery, has guided her career.

Busy, unpredictable days

Dr Amewoui's days are punctuated by consultations, visits, surgery and emergencies. ‘It's a very demanding job, both day and night,’ she confides. Between her private practice and on-call duty, her schedule is intense, but she always finds time to devote to her family. ‘With an understanding husband who helps out, we manage,’ she admits.

Highlights

Births and successful infertility treatments are the most rewarding moments of her career. ‘The best moment is the birth of the children, the lives we welcome,’ she says. But maternal deaths, particularly those linked to haemorrhage, remain painful ordeals. ‘The worst times have been the maternal deaths I've had through haemorrhage,’ she laments.

An important profession for development

Dr Amewoui is convinced of the importance of her profession to the country's development. ‘I am the foundation of life,’ she exclaims. She stresses the impact of quality care on the health of mothers and children, and therefore on the future of the nation. ‘If we don't monitor pregnancies properly, if we don't monitor childbirth properly, we create handicapped children, bereaved families and countries that will suffer from a shortage of labour’, she stresses.

Challenges to overcome

Emergencies, night shifts and the emotional burden are the main difficulties of her job. ‘I have two lives to save, the mother and the child’, she says.

She also stresses the need to improve the Togolese healthcare system, in particular by strengthening public-private collaboration and enhancing the value of doctors' work. ‘We need to pay doctors better and review the work quota so that public sector doctors are authorised to work private hours in the public sector, and also so that private doctors are authorised to work private hours in the public sector, for the benefit of patients’, she argues.

Essential support

Dr Kafui Amewoui pays tribute to her family, who have always supported her throughout her career. ‘My parents, my family, my uncle (where I studied in Abidjan) and my aunt are all those who have supported me.She appeals for the understanding and support of those around her who work in the health sector, a profession that demands sacrifice and dedication.‘Please support us’, the obstetrician insists.

Gynaecologists play an essential role in promoting maternal and child health, contributing to the well-being of families and the development of society. Their dedication and expertise make them indispensable players in the healthcare system, working tirelessly to preserve life and improve women's quality of life.

A call for understanding and support

Behind every consultation, every operation, every delivery, lies a reality that is often overlooked: the psychological wear and tear suffered by healthcare professionals. Dr Amewoui lifts the veil on this reality, sharing a poignant message: ‘Our profession is very demanding.We suffer a lot of psychological wear and tear when we are faced with deaths, when we are faced with things we can't explain, infertility treatments we can't resolve.She appeals for understanding and flexibility, particularly on the part of doctors' relatives.  ‘I'd like people to be really flexible with us, especially when we're in a couple and with our husband or wife who isn't from the health sector. Be flexible with us. Support us in our families.’

She explains that emergencies can arise at any time, upsetting personal plans and commitments. ‘When we have to go to a party and we, because of an emergency, a woman bleeding, we have to do interventions, we can't go.’

Social and human work

This professional dedication often leads him to forget himself in order to save lives. ‘We do social work, human work, work that makes us forget ourselves sometimes so that we can save lives’. Her message is a vibrant appeal for recognition and support for those who devote their lives to caring for others.

Esther KOLANI