WIDE ANGLE | Birth of a Surgeon | PBS

Sub-Saharan Africa is the world's deadliest place to give birth. Each year over a quarter of a million women die in childbirth in the region. But Mozambique is combating high maternal death rates by implementing unconventional programs. In 2004, Mozambique introduced a new health care initiative to train midwives in emergency obstetric care in an attempt to guarantee access to quality medical care during pregnancy and childbirth. The film "Birth of a Surgeon" follows Emilia Cumbane, one of the first midwives-in-training. She performs cesareans and hysterectomies in makeshift operating rooms in rural Mozambique. The film captures one woman's story on the frontlines of improving maternal mortality but it also demonstrates how low-cost, community-based health initiatives are changing the face of public health in Africa. For more information visit http://www.pbs.org/