150,000 Nigerian women suffer from Fistula sees hope for corrective surgery as an international non-governmental organization launches a program that supports fistula surgeries in certain African countries.
Fistula Care Plus Country Program Manager Dr. Habit Sadauki says that the 150,000 women in Nigeria who suffers fistula after childbirth (obstetrics fistula) are awaiting surgery. Dr. Sadauki says that the country is at a critical time. The country's women who are in need of corrective surgery cannot wait to have their lives repaired and their dignities restored.
Furthermore, Dr. Sadauki says that on top of the 150,000 existing cases of obstetric fistula, he sees that 12,000 cases will be added annually. This calls for more urgency in rendering the corrective surgery that the women of Nigeria need.
Engender Health, the organization that launched the Fistula Care Plus Program in Nigeria, has been lending the Nigerian women a hand at repairing the fistulas that follow childbirth. However, the current number of annual surgeries that they can offer only tops at 5000.
Now, with Fistula Care Plus, the organization, the country and its women see a better hope. With the program at hand and its supporters that are composed of international women's health focused-groups, surgeons and service providers, the backlog that is looming all over the organization is being lifted.
Right now, on top of mobilizing the necessities for corrective surgeries among Nigerian women, Engender Health through Fistula Care Plus is also spreading awareness regarding the prevention of the condition. In fact, the organization has been conducting training in Fistula care and prevention to about 33,000 volunteers since 2007.
Fistula Care Research is but another branch of the program. This focuses on the search for answers and solutions to the questions and conditions that currently baffle health care providers and volunteers pertaining to the treatment and prevention of obstetric fistula.
As of the present, Fistula Care is present in Bangladesh, Congo, Niger and Uganda.