Event Description
We're delighted to welcome Dr Benjamin Black to Belfast to chat about his 'eye opening and inspirational book', Belly Woman: Birth, Blood and Ebola, The Untold Story.
May, 2014. Sierra Leone is ranked the country with the highest death rate of pregnant women in the world. The same month, Ebola crosses in from neighbouring Guinea. Arriving a few weeks later, Dr Black finds himself at the centre of an exponential Ebola outbreak. From impossible decisions on the maternity ward to moral dilemmas at the Ebola. Treatment Centres, one mistake, one error of judgement, could spell disaster.
An eye-opening work of reportage and advocacy, Belly Woman chronicles the inside journey through an unfolding global health crisis and the struggle to save the lives of young mothers. As Black reckons with the demons of the past, he must try to learn the lessons for a different, more resilient, future.
"This book will stay with me for years." – Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to Hurt
About
Dr Benjamin Black is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist in London and a specialist advisor to international aid organisations. His focus on sexual, reproductive and maternal healthcare for populations in times of crisis has taken him to many countries. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic he provided frontline healthcare to pregnant women and supported international guidelines development. Benjamin also teaches medical teams around the world on improving sexual and reproductive health care to the most vulnerable people in the most challenging of environments. Benjamin is also a member of the expert panel enquiry into racial injustice in UK maternity services.
Dr Black will be in discussion with Dr Jenny McNeill, a Reader in Midwifery and previous Lead Midwife for Education in the School of Nursing and Midwifery