Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), a childbirth disorder, hurts physically and emotionally but Kaduna State has found sustainable ways to soothe the pain. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports
The experts say Vesico Vaginal Fistula or VVF afflicts over 12,000 women every year in Nigeria, leaving them unable to control urine. The condition is defined as a hole that develops between the vagina and the bladder, resulting in uncontrollable urine leakage. The causes: mostly obstructed labour, early marriage and poverty.
Most of those 12,000 new cases are in northern Nigeria, according to USAID.
The Project Manager, USAID Fistula Care Plus Project, Dr. Habibu Sadauki said at an event in Zaria that over 5,000 cases have been repaired.
The USAID Project Manager disclosed that in Kano State alone, 10 to 15 new cases are recorded every week in various hospitals in the state, as he maintained that fistula can be repaired and prevented if parents educate their female children to patronise hospitals for proper delivery.
VVF patients are often rejected by their husbands and avoided by the rest of the society. The patients themselves withdraw from the world that does not want them.
That is where the Kaduna State government is making a difference. VVF patients at Hajia Gambo Sawaba General Hospital Zaria, the state’s VVF centre, are getting double treatment. After the surgery to stop urine leakage, the state government in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) trains and empowers them with vocational skills and gives them starter packs to enable them easily deal with the post-VVF stigma.
The 100 rehabilitated women were recently provided with tools and machines to start off businesses to become self-reliant after undergoing series of training during their stay in the hospital.
Wife of the state governor, Hajia A’isha el-Rufai, while speaking at the graduation ceremony of rehabilitated and empowered patients held at Gambo Sawaba General Hospital described the continued recurrence of obstetric fistula as “a human rights tragedy”, reflecting the marginalisation of those affected.
“Their isolation means they often go unnoticed by policymakers, and as a result, little action is taken to address or prevent their condition,” she said.
The governor’s wife said that the patients would be reintegrated into their families and the society through their newly acquired skills and tools for economic empowerment. “The gesture is a testimony to the consistent commitment of the state government toward ensuring improved health outcomes for its citizenry.”
“Obstetric fistula is one of the most serious and tragic injuries that can occur during child birth. It is a hole between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without timely access to emergency obstetric care, notably a cesarean section. It leaves women leaking urine, faeces or both and over time, it leads to chronic medical problems,” she said.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Manya Dogo said, “VVF a serious condition that sadly crippled the future of young prospective women in Nigeria, with Northern States bearing the greatest burden.
According to him, “many girls between the ages 11 years and 15 years, who become mothers mostly because they were married-out early suffer some forms of deprivation. Such girls denied access to emergency obstetric care, are often victims of VVF.”
“Estimates in Nigeria reveal that between 400, 000 and 800,000 women are currently living with the scourge of VVF with about 20,000 new cases being recorded annually,”
The Commissioner stressed the need for community and village leaders, clerics, health workers and the media to create more awareness on the causes and how to prevent VVF.
