Ending obstetric fistula in Africa’s developing nations
For many young girls and women in developing countries, child marriage and early childbirth tend to be viewed as the viable option they can take to leave a life of poverty. Unfortunately, these young girls and women tend to give birth before their bodies have matured or while suffering from malnutrition, which can lead to life-altering complications during childbirth, such as obstetric fistulas.
Obstetric fistula is one of the most serious and tragic childbirth injuries a woman can face when delivering a baby. Due to obstructed labor and lack of access to timely and high-quality treatment, a hole will be created between the birth canal and bladder. After experiencing physical and mental trauma due to obstructed labor these young girls and women will be left with incontinence, and in a lot of cases, it leads to chronic medical problems, depression, social isolation and deepens their levels of poverty. Alongside chronic incontinence, these young girls and women become more prone to frequent infection, kidney disease, painful sores, and possible infertility. To make it even worse for these women there is a strong association between fistula and stillbirth, with approximately 90% of women developing it ending up with stillborn babies.
The aftereffect of obstructed labor affects around 50,000 to 100,000 young girls and women per year, and when factoring in how by 2030 it’s estimated there will be 13 million child marriages per year, the preventability of obstetric labor needs to be at the forefront of discussion in developing nations.
Despite the unfortunate symptoms that come with obstetric fistula, it’s not that hard to prevent. Sufficient medical assistance is all that is needed to prevent this painful and traumatizing injury. In addition, the disproportionate number of young girls and women giving birth before the full development of their pelvises indicates a sign of worsening global inequality. In addition, it demonstrates how health and social systems in many developing countries are failing to protect the health and human rights of the poorest and most vulnerable girls and women.
After giving birth, some girls and women can manage to access medical care and have reconstructive surgery. The surgery repairs the fistula, to prevent further infections and trauma to the body. Often these girls and women and their families don’t even know that the treatment is available. Alongside not being informed about surgery after giving birth, many adolescents and women can’t afford or even reach the necessary facilities. Moreover, by delaying the age of first pregnancy, ceasing harmful traditional practices, and providing continuous access to healthcare services, it can be easily prevented
The fact that schools and healthcare systems consistently fail in informing women of their rights reflects the marginalization of those affected and the consistent failure of governments and the healthcare systems in meeting their needs. In most urban areas and what we perceive as developed nations, obstetric fistula has been eliminated through the availability of timely, high-quality medical treatment in response to possible effects of prolonged and obstructed labor. Today we mostly see most of these cases in the poorest and most marginalized societies, where adolescents and women frequently live without easy access to medical services; when they can afford them, most cannot access them due to socioeconomic reasons.
Despite the high number of adolescents and women suffering each year from childbirth injury, the governments of developing and marginalized societies need to begin taking immediate action, ensuring girls and women have easy access to healthcare services. Factors such as lack of access to quality healthcare services and education, gender and socioeconomic inequality and failure to protect human rights need to be comfortably discussed and addressed. Although some nations have introduced organizations that provide services in remote areas, the first and most crucial steps begin with conversations in parliament regarding restoring and repairing their failing healthcare infrastructure.
The conversations many find taboo could save millions from trauma and physical ailments that would stay with them for life. Obstetric fistula needs to be addressed and given the same level of urgency and action as other major global initiatives. With COVID-19 making access to healthcare services even harder and the socioeconomic effects pushing young girls to choose early pregnancy, now more than ever it is important for the international community to raise awareness and intensify action towards ending obstetric fistula.
Articles from Taida Nando
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