Launches $10 million Safe Surgery project

By Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

Succour yesterday came the way of Nigerian Fistula clients as a $10 Million Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics project  has been launched in Nigeria  even as  the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen the current  burden of  Fistula  was  unacceptable, adding that, “no woman should die as a result of giving life anymore in the country”.

Speaking during the launch of $10 million Momentum Safe Surgery in Family planning and Obstetrics project in Nigeria, Tallen lamented that there was no state in the country without a Fistula case.

“The situation of Fistula in Nigeria is unacceptable. No woman should die as a result of giving birth anymore in this country.

The five year-round project will operate and provide safe maternal health interventions and services in four states – Bauchi, Sokoto, Kebbi, Ebonyi and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.

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Tallen disclosed that Nigeria remains one of the countries in the world with the highest incidents of fistula, “very high number of women in the country die as a result of poor maternal health services. The task ahead is huge and requires that all hands must be on the deck to overcome the situation”

“I am very pleased with the coming of this project. Riding on the successes that were recorded on the Fistula Project in Nigeria (elapsed), we will move higher in performances and services to our women with this project” she promised.

“When I visited the National Fistula Hospital in Abakaliki sometime ago, I remember I was moved to near tears with what I saw. I saw so many women with Fistula that have been repaired, some others waiting to be repaired and some coming back with failed repairs.

“A situation where many women have to come back still leaking after being repaired is very difficult to bear, we should not be having such situations anymore, I hope with this project which is going to focus on safe surgeries in Family Planning will help us overcome that situation”

Tallen noted the fact not all the states in the country have domesticated the Childs Rights Act, a situation she said has held down efforts to curb and punish incidents of Gender-Based Violence in the country.

“I am very hopeful that when the Act is domesticated completely in all the states, it will help end all forms of Gender-Based Violence especially the kind we heard today where an adult is molesting a 12 year-old girl. As bad as that case is, we have heard of even worse cases, where minors as little as 2 or 3 years old are molested by older men”

She called on the Wives of State Governors where the Act has not been domesticated, about 12, to join forces with their husbands to promote efforts to domesticate the Act.

“I hope that as you go back we will move quickly with the process to finally domesticate the Act, even more importantly, to ensure the implementation of the Act” in your states “as it is one thing to domesticate and another to implement it” she added.

The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard who joined the launch ceremony virtually, said “This new U.S. assistance will help Nigeria’s health care providers identify, manage, and prevent obstetric fistula, female genital mutilation, and other forms of gender-based violence in a complementary manner,”

The $10 million activity builds on the gains of the previous USAID funded fistula interventions in Nigeria, which conducted over 18,400 fistula surgical repairs and about 800 non-surgical repairs in 14 fistula centres in 13 states.  Under the activity, partners trained more than 50 surgeons in fistula repair and 2,700 other healthcare workers in fistula prevention and treatment.

Under the project over the next five years, USAID Implementing Partner EngenderHealth will lead a coalition of local and university-based international partners and professional organizations to implement the activity in Bauchi, Ebonyi, Kebbi, and Sokoto States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.

Confirming the dire fistula situation in the country, she said Nigeria accounts for 40 percent of fistula cases worldwide.  The country reports 13,000 new cases of fistula per year, and as many as 400,000 women languish on waiting lists for corrective surgery.

Ambassador Leonard noted that because “Fistula is both preventable and treatable, and by working in partnership with government agencies, we can do both.”

Also joining the ceremony virtually Tarci Baird, President and CEO of Engenderhealth said “EngenderHealth is committed to working with the Federal and State governments of Nigeria, along with many local partners, to advance the goals of the MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics project”

According to her, “Engender Health envisions a gender-equal world where all people achieve their sexual and reproductive health and rights. To achieve this vision, EngenderHealth implements high-quality, gender-equitable programs that advance sexual and reproductive health and rights”

To make an impact on this new project, particularly ending fistula, “requires that we give equal or even more attention to prevention. This includes access to quality maternal health services, especially emergency obstetric care and safe cesarean section” adding improved advocacy“for and building policies and programs so that women and girls meet their full potential, including promoting girls’ education and ending practices such as child marriage and female genital cutting”

 In her comment, VandanaTripathi who similarly joined the ceremony virtually said the new project “will support the Government of Nigeria to sustainably build awareness of, equitable access to, and provision of high quality, voluntary, indicated and consented safe surgery in Bauchi, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Ebonyi states and FCT.

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 “This includes supporting the implementation of Nigeria’s National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anesthesia& Nursing Plan (NSOANP), which offers a framework for strengthening surgical team capacity.

Specifically, the project will strengthen the capacity of Nigerian institutions to introduce, deliver, scale-up, and sustain services in 3 main fields.; evidence-based prevention and quality treatment of obstetric and iatrogenic fistula improved availability and quality of safe indicated cesarean delivery as part of CEmONC and prevention of female genital mutilation/circumcision and mitigation of adverse obstetric impacts among women who have experienced Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting.

In addition, to the partnership with the government, MOMENTUM Safe Surgery will work through subawards with local organizations, including professional associations and civil society, community-based, and faith-based organizations.

Tripathi said the project will in partnership with the government of Nigeria “strengthen the safety and quality of surgical services and the ability of families and communities to access this lifesaving care”

The Wife of the Governor of Kebbi state Dr ZainabBagudu, described fondly as “Fistula Champion” in the country said “there is not delight in the fact that women are still suffering from fistula in this time and age in the country”

She said as a result, “we cannot avoid not making laws and policies to keep our girl child alive by ensuring they have access to quality healthcare services” adding “this new program will help us build on the gains we recorded with the support of the Fistula project in our state. We will similarly, work closely and firmly with this new project to achieve the best for our women”

Other highlights of the launch ceremony include a testimonial by a fistula survivor and the doctor who treated her Professor OladosuOjengbede of the University College Hospital Ibadan fondly described as a Fistula Repair Master Trainer in the country and beyond.

Vanguard News Nigeria