Medicine San Frontier, an international non-governmental organisation, has successfully treated 235 women suffering from Vesico Virginia Fistula (VVF), through surgical repair conducted at Jahun General Hospital in Jigawa State.
The VVF patients were admitted at the VVF centre in Jahun in January this year 2022.
Speaking on Thursday at the ceremony for the discharge of the patients and presentation of empowerment packages held at the centre in Jahun, the MSF Head of Mission in Nigeria, Mrs. Pamela Oko, said over two million women and girls are estimated to live with Obstetrics Fistula worldwide.
She noted that Nigeria is among the countries with a high rate of the cases, with Jigawa State reporting a high number of cases, mainly caused by long labour and complications during childbirth.
Oko noted that MSF started intervention on VVF at the Jahun centre in 2008 and between the period to date, over 5,000 patients had been treated at the centre.
“From January to November this year, 235 women suffering from the fistula were successfully treated with surgical intervention, while 282 women had their fistula repaired in 2021.
“During the same period, MSF team in Jahun centre provided 33,907 women with antenatal care, assisted on 12,509 deliveries and another 16,626 deliveries through cesarean section,” she added.
She restated the commitment of MSF to collaborate with the host community and state government in tackling the VVF disease, providing other medical interventions in case of a pandemic, disease outbreak, and other specific ailments.
During the ceremony, MSF inaugurated a 90Khz solar power project constructed for sustainable power supply in Jahun General Hospital.
MSF and other philanthropies presented an empowerment package to the discharged patients to help them become self-reliant as they went back to their various communities while urging them to be advocates for encouraging women and husbands to avoid all causes of the VVF disease.
In his remarks, the District Head of Aujara, Malam Aminu Danmalam, expressed dismay at the attitude of some husbands who were not conscious of their wives’ health or neglect them due to the ailment.
He described such an attitude as inhumane, un-islamic, and also against the norms and true culture of the land.
The traditional ruler reaffirmed the determination of the Dutse Emirate to go tough against any man reported with such behaviour in the emirate.
