Shanta's Smiling Sun
A paramedic’s quest to deliver healthy babies in Bangladesh
Photos and video by Morgana Wingard and Josh Estey
March 2018
Because there was no hospital nearby, Shanta’s mother suffered at home from labor pains for four whole days. The child died. “If he survived, I would have had an older brother now,” said Shanta. “I didn’t want anybody to lose her child – so I decided to become a paramedic.”
It was challenging for Shanta to pursue training and establish her career.
Her in-laws didn’t believe she could be a working woman and take care of her 8-year-old daughter, Ankita. At the time, her husband had moved to South Africa for work, and her son, Mughdho, 13, lived in a hostel close to his school.
“I worked really hard to complete three years of midwifery training,” Shanta said.
Shanta learned to care for newborns in a training she received at the clinic. She teaches new moms about the importance of breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact.
“I believe that I am looking after their child, and in return there will be a thousand others to look after my child,” Shanta said.
Door to door health care
Satellite clinics provide healthcare services for those who live far away.
Shanta travels to visit pregnant women at their homes in rural areas to inform them of what to do when they go into labor.
If they are very poor, she tells them they can receive free counseling and childbirth delivery.
Shanta’s patients are grateful for the care that Shanta brings.
“She comes to my house, and asks me to eat nutritious foods like milk, eggs, fish and meat,” said Rohima, who is eight months pregnant. “She also told me not to work too hard, to make sure I do not carry heavy loads and to rest adequately.”
About This Story
For five years, the Smiling Sun network has made maternal health services available to millions of Bangladeshis.
Supported by USAID and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under the NGO Health Services Delivery Project, the network comprises 25 NGOs and 399 clinics in rural and urban areas.
The clinics provide free healthcare for the ultra-poor and reduced-rate services for others. The clinics operate as full-time facilities that offer safe childbirth delivery, emergency obstetric care and other services.
In addition, more than 10,000 satellite clinics operate on a part-time basis. They include a cadre of nearly 10,000 community health workers who provide basic services and refer clients to the full-time clinics for more care.
Paramedics like Shanta, who work in the communities where they live and connect with their patients on a personal level, are crucial to providing quality health services.
USAID’s investment is helping save the lives of millions so Bangladeshis can build a brighter future.