Implications for the Long Term Care of Women With Fistula

Dr. R.H. Mohammad, a founding member of FORWARD Nigeria, has published an article entitled “A community program for women’s health and development: Implications for the long-term care of women with fistula”, in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (99). The article details FORWARD Nigeria’s project on obstetric fistula in Dambata Kano. The Dambata Women’s Rehabilitation Centre is based on a holistic approach which encompasses prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, life skills development and community reintegration of clients.

Dr. Mohammad highlights the need for a multi-discipline approach to effectively aid women who experience the trauma of living with vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF). She also argues that now action is needed on the ground through replicating and expanding VVF clinics.

Fistula is a preventable and debilitating disease linked to poverty, and inadequate provision of primary health care including maternal and child health services. The compounding factors include early childbirth, powerlessness and low social status of women and girls.

According to UNFPA, the success rate of fistula treatment is approximately 90 per cent. The average cost of a fistula treatment and post-operative care is about US $300. Two million women in Africa, Asia and the Arab region currently live with this condition, and annually 50,000 to 100,000 new cases occur.