Fistula, a call to action for eradication
Today, the Daily Graphic is focusing its attention on a major health condition among women and girls known as fistula.
It is often caused by prolonged obstructed labour, which can result from a range of factors, including the lack of access to skilled birth attendants, inadequate prenatal care and early marriage.
The consequences are far-reaching, leading to chronic incontinence, infections and social isolation. Women with fistula often face stigma and discrimination, affecting their mental health and physical well-being.
Although it is a preventable and treatable condition, fistula continues to affect thousands of women in Ghana, causing physical, emotional and social distress.
According to the National Obstetric Task Force (NOTT), in Ghana, every year, 1,300 women get obstetric fistula, but only 100 undergo surgery and repair.
The underlying causes of fistula include poverty, lack of awareness, poor health-seeking behaviour, a poor referral system because of the poor transportation network, and scarcity of skilled birth attendants.
Thankfully, the government, with support from international organisations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has embarked on some interventions to address fistula, including the launch of a platform to source partnerships and pool resources to help increase healthcare access for women with obstetric fistula in the country.
Dubbed “Partnership to End Obstetric Fistula in Ghana (PEFIG)”, it is spearheaded by the UNFPA and formed to drive a five-year campaign drawing on the public sector, the United Nations, the private sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community actors and some individuals to accelerate repairs of fistula cases.
Among some of the interventions that the government has also made include increasing access to maternal health care by expanding access to skilled birth attendants, prenatal care and emergency obstetric care.
Also healthcare providers are being trained to manage fistula cases, including surgical repair and post-operative care.
Additionally, through the NOTT, support services, including counselling and rehabilitation, are being provided to women with fistula.
However, despite these efforts, challenges persist, including limited access to health care, as many women lack access to quality health care, particularly in rural areas.
Also, stigma and discrimination continue to plague women with fistula, affecting their willingness to seek treatment.
All the interventions to prevent and cure fistula pale into insignificance, looking at the dearth of knowledge and awareness of the condition.
There is also the issue of funding constraints as treatment and prevention require significant financing, which can be a challenge in resource-constrained settings.
The Daily Graphic, therefore, believes that to eradicate fistula, there is a need for a comprehensive approach involving the government, healthcare providers, civil society and communities to help increase funding to support fistula treatment and prevention programmes.
We must be deliberate about improving access to health care to improve the quality of maternal health care, particularly in rural areas.
The awareness campaigns must be intensified and should not be left for the commemorative day.
To eradicate fistula, a comprehensive approach is needed, involving the government, healthcare providers, civil society and communities.
By increasing funding, improving access to health care, raising awareness and providing support services, we can work towards a Ghana where women are free from fistula.
The paper believes that the prevalence of fistula, a condition which is preventable and treatable, in the country, is a reflection of its broader healthcare challenges, including limited access to quality maternal health care, inadequate infrastructure and societal stigma.
The paper commends the Chairman of the NOTT, Dr Gabriel Ganyaglo, and his team of doctors for the good work they are doing to repair women free of charge and call on the general public to support their work by donating generously to Partnership to End Obstetric Fistula, to enable them to cover more women in need of repairs.
