Dutse, May 23, 2025
Dr.Abubakar Said Kanya, Director Family Health, Jigawa state Ministry of Health, has said that timely access to emergency obstetric care, play a critical role in preventing ending obstetric fistula.
He stated this in an interview to commemorate the International day to end Fistula, on Friday.
He explained that fistula is an abnormal opening between two areas of the body while an obstetric fistula is a hole between the birth canal and bladder and/or rectum.
“A woman with a fistula faces devastating physical and psychological consequences and is unable to control the leaking of urine and or faeces, she suffers chronic infections and pain.
“With little community understanding of her injury and its causes, a woman is frequently blamed for her condition and lives in isolation leading to depression, anxiety and social isolation,” he said.
According to him, over 50% of women with obstetric fistula have been abandoned by their husbands, depression and grief related to fear of infertility, inability to work and stigmatization.
Occasionally he stressed, women also develop fistulas from cancer or radiation treatment from cancer, injury during other gynecologic or obstetric surgery or injury during a caesarian section or destructive delivery.
“Fistulas can also be caused directly because of Coital trauma and sexual violence and infection specifically lymphogranuloma venereum,” Kanya revealed.
The Director however, dislosed that some early warning signs that pregnant women and health professionals should be aware of include prolonged or obstructed labor.
Other risk factors include, cephalo-pelvic disproportion (CPD) due to malnutrition, large fetus or malpresentation of fetus and harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM).
The best strategy to address obstetric fistula, Dr Kanya said, is to prevent obstructed labor by providing safe and timely emergency obstetric care.
Meanwhile, he stressed that Family planning is important in preventing the recurrence of fistula, following surgical repair.
Kanya added that Family planning allows women to recover from the traumatic physical and psychological experience, without the additional worry of becoming pregnant again before they are properly healed.
Primary prevention measures according to him, also includes adolescent and maternal nutrition and education and empowerment for women.
Jigawa state Ministry of health he said, in collaboration with Ministry of Women Affairs, have revived the Safemotherhood Initiative to combat obstetric fistula.
He added that the state in partnership with Doctors without Borders have been providing interventions in Jahun General Hospital since 2008, through emergency Obstetrics, New‐born care, Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) care and rehabilitation.
The annual number of patients managed by the hospital is 300 VVF surgeries.
Aisha Ahmed ✍
