Dr. Malam Bacai Sanha

Dr. Malam Bacai Sanha is the most experienced obstetrician-gynaecologist at Hospital Nacional Simão Mendes, Guinea-Bissau's foremost national hospital, with over 18 years of specialist practice in one of West Africa's most underserved maternal health environments. Guinea-Bissau has a persistently high maternal mortality ratio — one of the highest in the region — making Dr. Sanha's work critically important to the country's public health. He manages the full obstetric caseload at Simão Mendes, which serves as the referral destination for obstetric emergencies transferred from regional health centres across the country. Dr. Sanha has extensive hands-on experience managing life-threatening obstetric emergencies including eclampsia, severe post-partum haemorrhage, ruptured uterus, and obstructed labour — conditions that demand rapid, decisive intervention in settings with very limited anaesthesia and blood bank support. Beyond emergency obstetrics, he provides comprehensive antenatal care, family planning services, and gynaecological outpatient consultations. He is a recognised trainer of midwives and junior medical staff, having contributed significantly to improving the skills of birth attendants across Guinea-Bissau's regional health facilities. His commitment to reducing preventable maternal deaths has shaped his entire career.

Dr. Sanha completed his medical degree at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo, Mozambique, one of the CPLP's principal medical training institutions for Lusophone African students. He undertook specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Dakar, Senegal, where he completed a four-year residency programme with exposure to high-volume obstetric caseloads. He has attended advanced training workshops in emergency obstetric care (EmOC) and surgical skills for obstetric emergencies through programmes supported by UNFPA and the African Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Dr. Sanha performs the full range of obstetric and gynaecological surgical procedures. His most critical skill set lies in managing obstetric emergencies: he is highly proficient in emergency caesarean section, management of post-partum haemorrhage including bimanual compression and uterotonics, manual removal of retained placenta, and — in extreme cases — peripartum hysterectomy. He also manages pre-eclampsia and eclampsia using WHO-recommended magnesium sulphate protocols and antihypertensive regimens. In elective gynaecology, he performs procedures for uterine fibroids, cervical lesions, and pelvic inflammatory disease. He is skilled in vacuum extraction for assisted vaginal delivery and in managing obstructed labour through combined obstetric and surgical approaches.

Dr. Sanha has contributed to UNFPA-supported maternal mortality audits in Guinea-Bissau, helping identify systemic gaps in referral pathways that contribute to preventable deaths. He has co-authored operational reports on the implementation of Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) protocols at Simão Mendes and has shared data with regional ECOWAS health surveillance networks. His advocacy for skilled birth attendance has been cited in WHO country health profiles for Guinea-Bissau.

Dr. Sanha consults in Portuguese and Guinea-Bissau Creole, and is experienced in managing the particular healthcare needs of women from Guinea-Bissau's diaspora communities who return to Bissau during pregnancy or for gynaecological care. He provides guidance on vaccination during pregnancy, tropical infection risks for pregnant women, and the logistics of accessing higher-level obstetric care in Dakar, Senegal, or Lisbon, Portugal, for patients with complex pregnancies where resources exceed Guinea-Bissau's hospital capacity.

Dr. Sanha was honoured by Guinea-Bissau's Ministry of Public Health for his leadership in maternal mortality reduction efforts and for his sustained excellence in emergency obstetric care over nearly two decades. He received a commendation from UNFPA Guinea-Bissau for his participation in the national safe motherhood initiative and has been nominated by the Ordem dos Médicos as an exemplary specialist mentor for junior physicians entering obstetric practice in the country.