Fourteen fistula cases have been successfully repaired at the Sobi Specialist Hospital Ilorin, Kwara State.
The patients were screened and repaired free of charge during the just concluded pooled efforts sponsored by EngenderHealth, implementer of the USAID Fistula Care Plus project.
A fistula surgeon, Dr Shukrah Okesina, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, yesterday.
Okesina said the pooled effort was the second in the year, recalling that 28 fistula clients were repaired during the first pooled effort held in August at the hospital.
Okesina, who is a consultant, obstetrician and gynecologist at Sobi Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, explained that the repairs were done with the support of other fistula surgeons mobilised by EngenderHealth from across the country.
She noted that the hospital recorded over 85 per cent success rate in all the repairs it had so far carried out.
She explained that fistula repair is a special field which requires expertise in order not to cause a scar on the vagina tissue needed to close up the hole.
“Routinely, we do repairs on simple cases, but when we have complex cases we do schedule them for pooled efforts. During the pooled efforts, after radio announcements, we do receive clients from Kwara, and from neighbouring Oyo, Osun, Kogi and Lagos states,” she said.
Okesina advised women not to labour beyond 12 hours before seeking higher medical attention to ensure safe delivery.
She admonished women who have fistula to report for treatment at the designated health facilities to access free medical attention.
Okesina also encouraged doctors to develop interest in fistula repairs and seek proper training with a view to ensuring successful repairs and clear the backlog of fistula cases in the country.
