Fistula Day: Doctors Advocate More Public Awareness On Family Planning

Medical professionals have called for increased public awareness on the importance of planned pregnancies, birth preparedness, complication readiness and access to quality antenatal services – including clear delivery plans – as key measures to tackle obstetric fistula.

A medical activity manager at Medicine Sans Frontières (MSF) in Jahun, Jigawa State, Dr Fatima Aliyu, stated this while speaking with journalists during the commemoration of the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.

She explained that family planning and child-spacing are crucial strategies for ensuring safe motherhood (healthy mother, healthy baby) and reducing maternal morbidity and mortality, not just in cases of obstetric fistula.

According to her, obstetric fistula is an abnormal opening between the bladder and vagina (or sometimes between the ureter and vagina) caused by prolonged obstructed labour. Women affected by this condition suffer from continuous, involuntary urine leakage, as well as complications such as obstetric palsy (foot drop), neuropathic pain and social stigma.

She noted that the Jahun VVF Centre, the only facility in Jigawa State that repairs vesicovaginal fistulas (VVF) with support from MSF, has performed 74 surgeries in 2025 alone and a total of 4,931 surgeries since the project began in 2008.

Dr Fatima added that MSF’s support for maternal and child health has contributed to reducing high maternal and perinatal mortality rates in Jigawa State.

She further stated that the intervention has improved access to basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care, ensured the availability of medical supplies and skilled personnel, facilitated prompt referrals, and promoted health education on birth preparedness, skilled birth attendance, and complication readiness.

In his remarks, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdullahi Kaimuwa, acknowledged the role of partners such as Devcom, TCI, MSF and UNICEF in supporting the state’s efforts to enhance healthcare service delivery, particularly in reproductive health.