Monrovia — The Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Foundation, has performed surgery on 11 fistula patients and medically managed 2 others, after a week-long Fistula Repair Campaign hosted at the Family Medical Center in Gardnersville, Monrovia.
The campaign was funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) through the Liberia Prevention of Maternal Mortality (LPMM).
According to RMNCAH Foundation Program Lead Surgeon, Dr. John K. Mulbah, two of the fistula survivors who were recruited, could not be treated and have been rescheduled due to the “recentness of their cases.”
Dr. Mulbah said nearly all of the 15 fistula survivors who were recruited for the surgical campaign were victimized by obstetric fistula-childbearing injury- in the last six months.
An obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder that is caused by prolonged obstructed labor, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or feces or both.
“We are witnessing an increase in the number of women and girls developing fistula during childbirth in Liberia. With this new trend, we must direct more support toward strengthening the maternal and newborn health sector of the country,” Dr. Mulbah said. Meanwhile, Dr. Mulbah has pledged the Foundation’s avowed commitment in fostering sustained partnership with the government and other partners to ensure the availability of quality and affordable reproductive health services to the people of Liberia.