Researchers recently completed a study of a new method of giving health care to women in Northern Nigeria. They found women and children would use health services more often when they could see a female health worker.
研究人员最近完成了一项研究，对尼日利亚北部为女性提供医疗服务的新措施进行了研究。他们发现，当妇女儿童能够看女性医护人员时，她们就会更多地使用医疗服务。
Northern Nigeria is conservative area with a population that is mostly Muslim. Dr. Sally Findley is a professor at Columbia University Medical Center. She co-wrote the report on the study. She said it is unusual for women to work as health care providers there.
尼日利亚北部是一个人口以穆斯林为主的保守地区。莎莉·芬德利（Sally Findley）博士是美国哥伦比亚大学医学中心的一位教授。她与人合著了这份研究报告。她说，女性医护人员在那里并不常见。
"Most women are not expected to be living on their own, providing health care essentially 24/7, or riding around meeting with families in the scattered hamlets."
“大多数女性不希望自己独立生活并几乎全天候地提供医疗服务，或骑车到附近零落村庄去见患者家庭。”
Nigeria has one of the world's highest death rates of women connected with pregnancy and childbirth. This is called the "maternal death" rate. The worst rate of maternal death in Nigeria is in the northern region.
尼日利亚与怀孕和分娩相关的女性死亡率全球最高。这就是所谓的“产妇死亡率”。尼日利亚产妇死亡率最高的就是北部地区。
Male health workers do travel from town to town, but many women patients do not want to talk with a man about their own health care needs.
男性医疗人员在城镇之间穿行，但是很多女患者不愿意同男性讨论自己的医疗需求。
Dr. Findley said the trial study in Jigawa state required that many in the community be involved. It also needed support from religious leaders, even on such matters as transportation for the workers.
芬德利博士表示，吉加瓦州的试验研究需要很多市民参与。它也需要得到宗教领袖们的支持，甚至在员工交通工具这类问题上都需要他们支持。
"We had to get permission from the state imam, the leader of all the Muslims in Jigawa, to have these female friendly motorcycles, and give permission for them to use them."
“我们必须获得吉加瓦州阿訇，也就是该州所有穆斯林的领袖的许可，才能得到这些女士摩托车，并允许她们骑这些摩托车。”
The program brought women into northern Nigeria as Community Health Extension Workers. It seems they were a big success in their community. There were five times more visits to the health center after the women health workers arrived than before. Dr. Findley said the program changed the minds of the women taking part.
该项目将女性引入尼日利亚北部作为社区医疗推广人员。看上去她们在各自社区获得了巨大成功。在这些女性医护人员抵达之后，到医疗中心看病的人数比以前多了5倍。芬德利博士表示，该项目改变了这些女性的参与观念。
"In fact, they did like this, and it did change their understanding of what they could get if they went to the facility for care."
“事实上，她们喜欢这，而且这确实改变了她们的观念，让她们了解到如果去医疗机构能得到什么帮助。”
The women of northern Nigeria could get health care at all hours in the local clinic. Mothers got help from women when they had normal births. If a mother giving birth needed more help, the Community Health Extension Workers sent her to a hospital. They also gave advice on family planning.
尼日利亚北部女性能够在当地诊所随时获得医疗服务。妈妈们得到了有过顺产的女性的帮助。如果某位妈妈分娩时需要更多帮助，社会医疗推广人员会把她送到医院。她们还就计划生育提供建议。
Each clinic had two health workers. That way, one could go out on home visits while the other was available to provide services in the clinic.
每间诊所有两位医疗人员。这样一来，其中一人可以外出出诊，而另一人可以在诊所坐诊。
State officials in Jigawa were happy with the positive results of the study. They plan to expand the program of women community health workers.
吉加瓦州官员对这项研究的积极成果非常满意。他们计划扩大这一女性社区医疗人员项目。
The paper that describes the program by Sally Findley and her co-authors is published in the journal Global Health: Science and Practice.
由芬德利等人合著的记述该项目的论文发表在《全球健康：科学与实践》杂志上。
I'm Jill Robbins.
我是吉尔·罗宾斯（Jill Robbins）。

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