No fewer than 41 Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) patients underwent free
repair surgery under Fistula Foundation Nigeria (FFN) support programme in Sokoto State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the free five-day activity was in collaboration with
UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and Sokoto State Government with support from Canada Government.
NAN reports that the exercise was conducted from Nov. 22 to Nov. 26 at the Fistula Treatment Centre,
Maryam Abacha Women and Children’s Hospital, Sokoto.
VVF is an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina that results in continuous and unremitting urinary incontinence.
The condition can cause a lot of discomfort and, if left untreated, it may cause serious bacterial infection, which may result in sepsis, a dangerous condition that can lead to low blood pressure, organ damage or even death.
The FFN Director, Mr Musa Isa, told NAN in Sokoto on Tuesday that 41 successful surgery repairs were conducted,
while nine screened patients were on awaiting.
Isa said that a team of three doctors and six nurses handled both normal and complex surgeries during the exercise,
noting that most cases were fresh and many patients still trooping to the centre.
He noted that COVID-19 pandemic had led to an upsurge in the number of fistula cases as many women were delivered
of babies at home without professional support due to the lockdown to curtail the spread of the virus.
He said “as you can see, most of the patients are fresh fistula cases; many were operated freely and empowered through
the donor support.”
The FFN director explained that “more women living with fistula would be screened from various parts of the country as the exercise continues in piecemeal under different support packages.”
Isa thanked the government and people of Canada for making it possible to have VVF treatment in the country.
He urged women and girls living with the condition from any part of the country to register at the centre for the surgery.
The Sokoto State VVF Coordinator at the Ministry of Health, Malama Zainab Muhammad-Yabo, also commended the donors for the support.
Muhammad-Yabo said the state had taken delivery of the supporting consumables and other kits from supporting organisations, noting that the government complemented by ensuring adequate planning and logistics to ensure a hitch-free exercise.
She called for more partnerships between state governments and NGOs to assist in identifying more patients so that they could also benefit, stressing that more effort was needed in view of the increasing number of cases.
The coordinator expressed satisfaction with the attitude of workers and patients to the exercise.
She said VVF could be caused by prolonged labour during childbirth, rape or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), among other causes, noting, however, that the condition could be treated through surgery.
She added that the state government had been doing its best toward supporting patients through free surgery and treatment.
Muhammad-Yabo said other assistance given to the women after the surgery included education and empowerment with relevant skills, as well as reintegration back to communities due to stigma associated with the condition.
Malama Hasiya Ahmadu, A’ishatu Maiyabo and Bashariyya Isiyaku, some of the patients interviewed at treatment center expressed excitements over the gesture stressing that they were reformed.
They explained that they have faced different hurdles in life after contracting the diseases and with surgery their dignity had been restored like other women.
Some of beneficiaries told NAN that they contracted VVF after child birth in the hospital, some traced their cases to home delivery, while other patients said they got the condition after surgery for a different illness. (NAN)
