Let’s bring obstetric fistula back to the forefront of global conversation and ensure that no woman is left behind, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
It’s a life shattering condition affecting two million women in 55 low resource countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia; with up to 100,000 additional women tragically developing a fistula every year in some of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged communities.
For every woman who receives treatment for her fistula, at least 50 more go without because of a global shortage of trained, skilled fistula surgeons, and a huge unmet need to treat and repair the backlog of women suffering from this condition.
There is an essential need for more surgeons to be trained on fistula repair and for more health facilities to provide holistic fistula treatment services, including rehabilitation and social assistance.
Let’s bring obstetric fistula back to the forefront of global conversation and ensure that no woman is left behind, especially the most vulnerable and diasdvantaged.
https://www.figo.org/news/fistula/storyfromnepal
Dear Sir,
before we think on number of surgeons that we need, it can be useful to think on risk factors leading to fistula. among those factors includes young marriage, obstructed labor, low interval in child spacing, home delivery and others. these factors have to be prevented as well as increasing qualified Dr for treatment.
Obstetric fistulae are the result of poor preventive strategies in the countries where they occur. Preventive measures can be discussed at five stages of prevention, namely, Health education and promotion, Specific protection, early diagnosis and treatment, limitation of disability and rehabilitation.
Rather that wait for a woman to be affected, a proactive measure that prevent the occurrence of obstructive fistulae will provide the best results and surgeons will only become necessary when the earlier stages of prevention have failed.
Improved nutrition for the girl child will ensure that they have broader and well developed pelves with larger obstetric conjugates. There is a need for legislation on age of marriage in the affected countries so that the girl child is well suited for the process of delivery. Legislation should also be enforced to prevent delivery of women by traditional birth attendants who are not skilled in the use of partograph and other monitors of the progress and complications of labor. Furthermore, affected countries should have established primary care centers which offer antenatal services and delivery services with skilled birth attendants.
With these measures, most of the obstetric fistulae will be prevented and the number surgeons currently available will be sufficient to handle the few cases of obstetric fistulae
References
Inegbenebor, U.(2007). Conceptual model for the prevention of Maternal mortality in Nigeria.Tropical Doctor 37(2):104-106
Inegbenebor, U.(2013). Bridging the Gap between Concept and Reality in the Nigerian Midwives Service Scheme. International Journal of Community Research 2(4): 58-63
These are all excellent replies. It is a disgrace that this is still a problem in 2018....but it will be so until societies condemn young girls being pushed into sexual relationships, low availability of family planning services, and poor access to C-sections for at-risk deliveries. Prevention is the key....it is a cruel condition that should be eradicated.
Have women labour and give birth in a forward leaning position (kneeling) to take pressure off posterior and put pressusre where there is the protection of the internal aspect of the clitoris.
Reduced chances for girls of going to school, poverty, early marriage, giving birth to children being nearly a child as mother, traditions in the different societies, - the social and cultural situation has to be taken in consideration for possible changes to help those young women is as important as to look for medical help, which is of crucial importance.
Public awareness - Women and Men too. Awareness of the extent of problem among the health professionals to catch their attention and collectively work on a solution . Training for skilled attendants at birth . Rewards and punishments( from state) for one who is conducting deliveries
Public awareness efforts are critical to creation of accurate incidence. Women's organizations in Myanmar, such as CSOs, are conducting sexuality workshops for adolescents and women providing realistic neurological, emotional, physical and psychological information. This small group process surfaces the existence and extent of many gender issues, including fistula.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Solid State Physics
- Devices