Photo of the week : due to lack of ambulances, pregnant women in Bubanza travel hours by motorcycle, risking their lives

In Bubanza province, western Burundi, women living in remote communities are denouncing the lack of ambulances to evacuate complicated pregnancies. Lacking adequate transportation, they are forced to travel by motorcycle, putting their lives and those of their babies in danger.

In Zina village, in Bubanza district, the situation is particularly alarming. This town, located in the Buvyuko zone, has two public health centers and one private center. But for specialized care or in case of complications, women must go to the Bubanza or Gihanga hospitals, located several kilometers away. “For a healthy person, it takes four hours of walking. Imagine a pregnant woman or a woman in labor,” says one of the residents.

Motorcycles : the fastest but dangerous way

Some women choose to travel by motorcycle to save time, but the journey is perilous. “It’s the fastest and most accessible way here, but it’s risky. The roads are in very poor condition, full of potholes left by the rainy season. Some women arrive at the hospital when their babies are already dead,” says another local woman.

A desperate need for ambulances

For the women we met, the provision of a dedicated ambulance in these remote areas is a vital emergency. A Red Cross educator pair, tasked with raising awareness among pregnant women, raises the alarm : “We provide free awareness raising so they can seek medical help in time. But even when they understand, the problem remains transportation. Due to the lack of passable roads and ambulances, women lose their babies, and sometimes their own lives.”

At Bubanza Hospital, only one ambulance is available. However, its mobility depends on the availability of fuel, further complicating emergency evacuations.

A much broader problem

These challenges are not unique to the town of Zina. Several towns in Bubanza province, far from hospitals, face the same difficulties. But the problem extends beyond Bubanza. In other provinces of the country, particularly in underserved rural areas, women face similar obstacles accessing emergency care. Yet, the national policy requires all women to give birth in a hospital setting or, failing that, in a health center. This is a difficult goal to achieve in the small east African nation, where scarce health infrastructure and deteriorating roads continue to deprive many women of their fundamental right to safe health care.

Our photo : rural Burundian women : between hard work and limited access to essential services