Despite being a preventable and treatable condition, obstetric fistula has high prevalence with a large number of unrepaired cases in Nigeria. Sadly, additional 13,000 new cases are added to the backlog every year. Report shows that Nigeria accounts for 7.
5 percent of the two million people living with unrepaired obstetric fistula globally. Obstetric fistula is a complication that causes an abnormal hole between the bladder and vagina, resulting in uncontrolled, continuous leakage of urine through the vagina. The condition, which is often associated with childbirth complications, has left many woman depressed as they suffer several physical, psychosocial and economical problems.
A public health physician, Dr. Amodu Abiodun, told LEADERSHIP that for each woman who dies during child birth, estimated 18 to 30 women survive avoidable complications, and obstetric fistula standout as the most tragic of preventable childbirth complications. He said in Nigeria, the most common cause of obstetric fistula is childbirth and obstructed labour that is left unrelieved.
It is estimated that 80-95 percent of the causes of obstetric fistula occur when a woman experiences prolonged obstructed labour. According to Abiodun, this obstruction can occur when a woman’s pelvis is too small, the baby’s head is too big, or the baby is not rightly positioned. They said either of these can cause the women to labour for several days, adding that even if the baby eventually dies and the mother survives.
