Dr. Cheikh Ould Ahmed

Dr. Cheikh Ould Ahmed is the senior obstetrician-gynaecologist at the Hôpital Mère-Enfant (Mother and Child Hospital) in Nouakchott — a facility specifically dedicated to maternal and neonatal health that serves as Mauritania's primary referral centre for obstetric emergencies. With 18 years of specialist experience, Dr. Ould Ahmed has devoted his career to addressing Mauritania's persistently elevated maternal mortality ratio, which reflects the challenges of providing skilled obstetric care across a vast, sparsely populated country with extreme climate conditions, an underdeveloped road network, and significant healthcare access inequalities between Nouakchott and the country's desert interior. The Hôpital Mère-Enfant receives obstetric referrals from across Mauritania, and Dr. Ould Ahmed's expertise in managing the most severe obstetric emergencies — including eclampsia, catastrophic post-partum haemorrhage, ruptured uterus, and obstructed labour — is central to the hospital's life-saving mission. He is trilingual in Arabic, French, and Pulaar — the language of the Halpulaar people who make up a significant minority of Mauritania's population — reflecting his commitment to culturally sensitive patient care that crosses the country's ethno-linguistic divide. Dr. Ould Ahmed is a committed teacher and has been instrumental in training midwives and obstetric clinical officers who provide the first line of maternal care across Mauritania's dispersed health facilities.

Dr. Ould Ahmed completed his Doctorat en Médecine at the Faculté de Médecine de Nouakchott and pursued specialist training in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Université Mohammed V's Maternité Souissi in Rabat, Morocco — one of the Maghreb's most prestigious maternity teaching centres — earning his DES en Gynécologie-Obstétrique. He has undertaken advanced training in emergency obstetric care (EmOC) through UNFPA Mauritania and holds ALSO (Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics) certification. He has participated in workshops on obstetric fistula management and postpartum family planning through regional FIGO training programmes.

Dr. Ould Ahmed's obstetric expertise is defined by his extensive experience in managing life-threatening obstetric emergencies. He is highly skilled in emergency and elective caesarean section, including in complex cases of placenta praevia, previous uterine surgery, and maternal haemodynamic instability. His management of post-partum haemorrhage encompasses the full pharmacological and surgical toolkit: uterotonics, bimanual compression, intrauterine balloon tamponade, B-Lynch suture, and peripartum hysterectomy. He manages eclampsia with magnesium sulphate and prompt delivery, and anaemia in pregnancy — including severe iron deficiency anaemia requiring IV iron or blood transfusion — which contributes significantly to maternal mortality in Mauritania. In gynaecology, he performs manual vacuum aspiration, colposcopy and cervical biopsy, and management of ectopic pregnancy by laparotomy.

Dr. Ould Ahmed has contributed to UNFPA-supported maternal mortality audits at the Hôpital Mère-Enfant and to Mauritania's national maternal death surveillance and response system. He has contributed clinical data to the Revue Mauritanienne de Gynécologie-Obstétrique on anaemia in pregnancy, management of post-partum haemorrhage, and referral patterns for obstetric emergencies from Mauritania's interior regions. He has presented at the SOMAGO-MR annual conference and at FIGO regional assemblies on safe motherhood challenges in the Sahel.

Dr. Ould Ahmed provides consultations in Arabic, French, and Pulaar, making him accessible to virtually all of Mauritania's ethno-linguistic communities as well as to international patients in Nouakchott. He provides antenatal care and obstetric emergency management for expatriate families, diplomatic community members, and development sector workers based in Mauritania. For pregnancies requiring foetal medicine specialist input, advanced neonatal care, or obstetric investigation beyond Mauritania's capacity, he facilitates referrals to Morocco or Senegal and provides complete obstetric documentation for international patient transfers.

Dr. Ould Ahmed was recognised by the Mauritania Ministry of Health for his contributions to reducing maternal mortality in Nouakchott and for his leadership in emergency obstetric training across Mauritania's health system. He received a commendation from UNFPA Mauritania for sustained excellence in maternal health service delivery and was selected by FIGO as a safe motherhood champion for the West African Sahel sub-region.