To mark International Women's Day, this week's podcast looks at the work being done in Jahun, northern Nigeria, to help treat women with an obstetric fistula. One of the most serious consequneces of obstructed labour, a fistula is a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, through which urine or faeces leak continuously. The injury is completely preventable and has almost disappeared in developed countries where there is universally available obstetric care.
2 million women worldwide have a fistula, with an estimated 800,000 women suffering in Nigeria alone. MSF has been working alongside the state Ministry of Health in Jahun, running a 35 bed maternity ward and a 57 bed fistula repair ward.
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More information about obstetric fistula can be found on the Focus page here.
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