- About Us - Our Work - Work With MSF - Public Events - Press
Room MSF in Lesotho, 2011 All articles on Lesotho » Life
expectancy for women in Lesotho is less than 47 years, and one
in 32 women dies from pregnancy- and childbirth-related
conditions. HIV and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics have contributed
to this situation, and nearly 60 percent of maternal deaths are
HIV-related. In May 2011, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) opened a new program that aims to help reduce
the number of maternal and infant deaths. Roma and Semonkong are
small towns in remote parts of the country. About 170,000 people
live in the area, and some 23,500 have HIV/AIDS. MSF supports St
Joseph’s district hospital in Roma, six basic healthcare clinics
in the surrounding lowlands and three clinics in Semonkong. All
these facilities provide comprehensive, integrated HIV and TB
care, so patients with both HIV and TB only need to go to one
place for treatment. As part of their maternal health services,
the clinics and ho