Pregnancy is a special time full of excitement and hope, but for Marianne and George, the Covid 19 pandemic tainted this beautiful experience with fear, anxiety and uncertainty.

During her pregnancy, Marianne was in fact infected with Covid 19 and was afraid this would cause problems to her baby. By following up with her doctor at the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, she got through this phase safely and with the professional support provided by the hospital personnel.

On June 26 2021, at 4:00 am, Marianne went into labour: she came directly to the Holy Family Hospital. As her husband recalls: “When my wife was examined by the midwifes, my baby’s pulse turned out to be weak, so she was admitted for an urgent Caesarean.  I felt lost, but what relieved me was the rapid medical intervention I witnessed. They succeeded in saving the life of my wife and my daughter’s life”.

“Our daughter Yasmeen needed an intensive care, we witnessed great teamwork among the doctors and nurses, no one hesitated for a moment to provide the quick medical care needed for my daughter” George said emotionally.

“Our choice of going to Holy Family hospital saved us for a tragedy that could have happened, their quick action and their great experience saved my baby’s life”. Yasmeen was discharged after four days, weighing 2.420 kg in good health.

This year so far, the Holy Family Hospital has delivered around 2.200 babies while facing the enormous struggle posed by the pandemic which has caused financial restraints impacting the region population’s health and wellbeing.

Since 1990, the Hospital has delivered 90,000 babies and cared for many thousand more either born prematurely or with congenital pathologies. The Hospital is the only facility in the region with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and offers regular checkups bringing pre and post -natal assistance to women in the nearby villages.