Women Want Fistula Treatment, End to Stigma in Tanzania

Name: Women Want Fistula Treatment, End to Stigma in Tanzania
Uploaded: 2023-06-23T12:22:52Z
Description: Many Tanzanian women suffer from Obstetric Fistula due to negligence by their families & communities.

Many Tanzanian women suffer from Obstetric Fistula due to negligence on the part of their families and communities after giving birth.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 50,000 to 100,000 women are diagnosed with obstetric Fistula worldwide every year. Most of these cases can be treated with surgery.

Obstetric Fistula is a complication of prolonged and obstructive childbirth labor, which has a devastating impact on women's health. The injury that caused the person to lose control over the blood flow and bowel movements can lead to further complications if left untreated.

Many Tanzanian women suffer from this condition due to negligence on the part of their families and communities after giving birth.

The community also needs to support women. We are asking if we can help these women in a timely manner because the biggest problem of fistula occurs during labour pain and these patients are ignored. So we are asking at the hospital level that patients shouldn’t be in a long extended period time of labor pain and if the hospital can’t help them on time then they should refer them as quickly as possible.

Dr. Daniel Michael, Fistula Surgeon at CCBRT hospital

Christina James, from Kahama, a town in the Shinyanga area of Northwest Tanzania, traveled over 900 km to the CCBRT hospital in search of treatment for an obstetric Fistula. James urges all women to seek medical help as soon as they experience any symptoms of obstetric fistula post-delivery and not to rely on others for treatment.

Doctors in the nation also want to sensitize women about their health issues and encourage them to seek treatment.

(HN)