Over 300,000 Nigerian women living with fistula: UN
Ulla Mueller, country representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), says there are 300,000 obstetric fistula cases in Nigeria, calling for political will to end it.
In an interview on the commemoration of World Fistula Day on Tuesday in Lagos, Ms Mueller said gender equality was key to ending fistula in Nigeria.
An obstetric fistula is a hole between the birth canal and bladder or rectum caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without access to timely, high-quality medical treatment.
According to her, women should be given access to healthcare, education and family planning to prevent fistula.
The UNFPA Country Representative said the high fistula prevalence in Nigeria was a clear sign of a failed health system.
“Fistula is a clear sign of a failed healthcare system. A woman living with a fistula will be constantly urinating and passing faeces. Thirteen thousand cases occur yearly; unprofessional caesarian sessions cause a fistula,” she said.
Ms Mueller asserted the commitment of the UNFPA to ending fistulas by training about 230 nurses.
She added, “We in UNFPA have also sponsored more than 16,000 repairs because we believe fistula will not happen in 2023.”
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
Kano architects demand strict enforcement of building regulations
Disturbed by recurring cases of building collapses, the Kano State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects has called for strict enforcement of building regulations.
States
Flooding: NEMA, KADSEMA search for missing persons in Kaduna River
NEMA and KADSEMA have launched a search-and-rescue operation for two persons swept away by floodwaters in the Kaduna River.
States
Police rescue 15 cows, one Katsina resident from bandits
The police command in Katsina says it has foiled kidnap and cattle rustling attempts in Funtua and Musawa council areas, rescuing one kidnap victim and recovering 15 rustled cows.
Agriculture
Farmers seek subsidised farm inputs to boost food production in Taraba
The farmers said the high cost and limited availability of fertilisers and other essential farm inputs had become major constraints as the rainy season commenced.
Politics
Kaduna: 12,000 people defect to APC in Lere LG
Twelve thousand members of opposition political parties have defected to the All Progressives Congress in the Lere council area of Kaduna.
Anti-Corruption
LS Cable & System USA agrees to pay $4 million to resolve PPP loan fraud allegations
LS Cable & System USA has agreed to pay $4 million to the United States to resolve allegations of false claims for payments under the Paycheck Protection Programme loans.
