A tense situation unfolded at Sukuta Health Centre when a man refused assistance from a male midwife attending to his wife, who was in labour. Instead, he opted to transfer her to Jammeh Foundation Hospital, where only female midwives were on duty.
The husband, Omar Kebbeh, told What’s On-Gambia: “As a Muslim, I was disturbed by the experience. In our culture and faith, it is inappropriate for men to attend to women in labour. I felt disrespected and uncomfortable when a male midwife tried to examine my wife.”
Kebbeh said he immediately arranged for his wife to be moved to Jammeh Foundation Hospital.
“When we got there, we found female midwives on duty. She delivered safely, and I was relieved,” he added.
He further argued that male healthcare workers should not be assigned to maternity wards, claiming it is “Islamically wrong” and stressing that The Gambia is a Muslim-majority country.