Death of Sister Maura Lynch

SISTER Maura (pictured) was born in Youghal, Co. Cork in 1938. After joining MMM she qualified in medicine in UCD. Her first assignment was to Angola in 1967, where she spent over 14 years, including the time of the civil war there. During that time she obtained her fellowship in surgery. In 1987 she was assigned to Uganda, where she spent over 28 years.

Doctor Lynch established a programme in Kitovu, Uganda for women affected by obstetric fistula. This programme received international recognition and Kitovu became a centre for training of medical personnel in prevention as well as treatment for the condition. Sister Doctor Maura and the staff received a number of awards. In August 2012, Maura, along with long-serving doctors John Kelly, Brian Hankock and Nurse Winnie Nakalema, received plaques from the Fistula Faculty Group UK from the Irish Ambassador to Uganda, Anne Webster. The first faculty meeting, held in Kitovu, was attended by fistula surgeons from Uganda, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Ethiopia. Medical colleges began to discuss the recognition of obstetric fistula surgery as a sub-specialty, with training for fistula care and repair to be included in Fellowship courses.

Recently Sister Maura sustained a fracture after a fall. She developed complications after surgery and died unexpectedly in Kampala Hospital on 9 December 2017.