By Chioma Obinna

Between 120,000 and 150,000 thousand women and girls are living with Fistula and about 12,000 new cases are diagnosed per year.

These were revealed by a Clinical Associate, Fistula Care Plus, Dr. Suleiman Zakariya, has decried acute shortage of Fistula surgeons in the country, lamenting that with a population of 170 million, Nigeria had only 20 Fistula surgeons.

File photo: Doctors

Speaking during a media round-table on Fistula intervention in Sokoto with the theme Service Availability: Access to Service, in Sokoto, Zakari-ya expressed worry that the few number of fistula surgeon in the country do not match the over 12,000 Nigerians affected with the disorder annually.

He regretted that due to acute shortage, only 5,000 out of the total yearly cases were treated, while the rest are left to their fate.

According to him, worldwide over two million women live with untreated obstetric fistula.

Advocating urgent intervention in fistula treatment, he said: “In sub-Sahara Africa, one in 16 women have the chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth, while in developed countries one in 4,000 is at risk.

“In Nigeria, it is estimated that between 120,000 and 150,000 are living with Fistula and about 12,000 new cases are diagnosed per year. The most vulnerable group is the young, poor illiterate and rural women, who are economically disadvantaged.”

Noting that although all doctors know about Fistula, he explained that not all surgeons can repair Fistula because it is a specialised area of surgery.

According to him, “Fistula repair is a specialised area of surgery that does not attract financial gains as most of the surgeries are done free of charge. As a result, many of the doctors are abandoning it to specialised in other lucrative areas.”

He further noted that Engender Health, under the Fistula Care Plus, has been able to train a pool of doctors and nurses to boost the available doctors and nurses in Nigeria.