Occasionally something happens that just crystalizes in your mind what everything is about. Tonight this happened to me. I saw the most wonderful example of what Doctors Without Borders does.

About 30 minutes after finishing for the day , we had a call from the hospital to inform us that maternity had a mother in obstructed labor and our surgeon would need to deliver the baby by a cesarian section. I went to the Hospital with Jasmin the surgeon where we met Priscilla the midwife and began to prep the theatre. We had 2 excellent South Sudanese staff with us, one anesthetic trained and a scrub nurse. I assisted as the circulating nurse and general dogs body (but Im still claiming some glory).

Once the spinal anesthesia was done the mother settled and Jasmin set to work. She worked quickly and superbly and the healthy baby girl you see above was delivered about 20 minutes after the start of the op.

Im going to be totally honest here as there is no need to be anything else. A tear came to my eye when I saw this tiny baby wrapped up in foil and blankets, I know without any doubt whatsoever that if this mother had not been able to come to the MSF hospital (and there are no others) both she and the baby would have died.

Tonight as I walked to my Tukul I looked up at a starry south sudan sky, Fire flies drifting by like shooting stars and I thought for certain that I have the best job in the world tonight and I work for the most amazing of organisations with the most incredible staff.