By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse
Medical experts have blamed early marriage, societal discrimination and lack of proper information on how to tackle it as some of the reasons for the increase in cases of obstetric fistula in some parts of the country.
In their separate interventions during a media interactions with reporters on the occasion of the commemoration of the 2025 International Day of Fistula at the Vesico Vaginal Fistula ( VVF) Centre at the Medecins Sans Frontieres, (MSF) in Jahun, Jigawa.
They have therefore unanimously advocated increased public awareness on the importance of planned pregnancy, birth preparedness, complication readiness access to quality antennal services including clear delivery as key factors in addressing obstetric fistula.
Dr. Fatima Aliyu, Medical Activity Manager Medicine Sans Frontières (MSF) and Dr. Abubakar made the observation while speaking to journalists during the commemoration of the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula supported by DEVCOMS
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.
She noted that the VVF Centre, Jahun the only facility in Jigawa State that repairs vesicovaginal fistula (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.
Aliyu 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.
According to her “The main causes of obstetric fistula are due to lack of availability of quality antenatal care with focus on delivery plan, poor attitude towards birth preparedness, lack of complication readiness, lack of skilled birth attendance, poor monitoring of women during labor, lack of anticipation of complication and early intervention, prompt referral to facilities for caesarean section, and lack of skilled human resources”.
She noted that family planning/child spacing is an important strategy control for cases “and ensures safe motherhood experience (healthy mother, healthy baby), reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in general not just specific to obstetric fistula”.
Aliyu maintained that the MSF presence increases access to basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care in Jigawa state, adding that “MSF increase availability of material and skilled human resources, prompt referral, and health promotion to increase awareness on birth preparedness, skilled birth attendance, and complication readiness”.
Similarly, Dr. Abubakar Said Kanya, Director Family Health, Jigawa state Ministry of Health, has said that timely access to emergency obstetric care, play a critical role in preventing ending obstetric fistula.
He stated this in an interview to commemorate the International day to end Fistula, on Friday.
He explained that fistula is an abnormal opening between two areas of the body while an obstetric fistula is a hole between the birth canal and bladder and/or rectum.
“A woman with a fistula faces devastating physical and psychological consequences and is unable to control the leaking of urine and or faeces, she suffers chronic infections and pain.
“With little community understanding of her injury and its causes, a woman is frequently blamed for her condition and lives in isolation leading to depression, anxiety and social isolation,” he said.
According to him, over 50% of women with obstetric fistula have been abandoned by their husbands, depression and grief related to fear of infertility, inability to work and stigmatization.
Occasionally he stressed, women also develop fistulas from cancer or radiation treatment from cancer, injury during other gynecologic or obstetric surgery or injury during a caesarian section or destructive delivery.
“Fistulas can also be caused directly because of Coital trauma and sexual violence and infection specifically lymphogranuloma venereum,” Kanya revealed.
The Director however, disclosed that some early warning signs that pregnant women and health professionals should be aware of include prolonged or obstructed labour.
Other risk factors include, cephalo-pelvic disproportion (CPD) due to malnutrition, large fetus or malpresentation of foetus and harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM).
The best strategy to address obstetric fistula, Dr Kanya said, is to prevent obstructed labour by providing safe and timely emergency obstetric care.
Meanwhile, he stressed that Family planning is important in preventing the recurrence of fistula, following surgical repair.
Kanya added that Family planning allows women to recover from the traumatic physical and psychological experience, without the additional worry of becoming pregnant again before they are properly healed.
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