The Upper West Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) is set to conduct free fistula surgeries in the Upper West Region from 30th to 31st May.

The initiative, aimed at restoring dignity and hope to women living with obstetric fistula, will be carried out at the Upper West Regional Hospital.

Screening and booking for the surgeries will take place at the Upper West Regional Hospital ANC Unit on Friday, 23 May, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, whereas the surgeries commence from 30 to 31 May from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Obstetric fistula is a severe childbirth injury resulting from prolonged, obstructed labor without timely medical intervention. It creates an abnormal opening between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum, leading to continuous leakage of urine or feces.

This condition often results in social isolation, chronic infections, and psychological trauma for affected women.

In Ghana, approximately 1,300 new cases are recorded each year, affecting mostly young, impoverished, and uneducated women in rural areas.

According to research, prolonged, obstructed labor is known to be the primary cause of obstetric fistula, including malnutrition, harmful traditional practices, limited access to skilled healthcare, and lack of awareness and education, among others.

There are several types of obstetric fistulas: vesicovaginal fistula (VVF), which occurs between the bladder and the vagina; ureterovaginal fistula (UVF), which occurs between the urethra (bladder outlet) and the vagina; rectovaginal fistula (RVF), which occurs between the rectum and vagina; ureterovaginal fistula, which occurs between the ureters (kidney tubes) and the vagina; vesicouterine fistula, which occurs between the bladder and the uterus (womb).

The World Health Organization has it that 50,000 to 100,000 women worldwide are affected by obstetric fistula. Delaying the age of first pregnancy, the cessation of harmful traditional practices, and timely access to obstetric care are ways to prevent obstetric fistula, according to the WHO.

The organisation added that women who experience obstetric fistula suffer constant incontinence, shame, social segregation, and health problems. It is estimated that more than 2 million young women live with untreated obstetric fistula in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), in partnership with Qatar Charity Ghana and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), officially held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a modern Fistula Holding Home at the forecourt of Yendi Government Hospital on March 25.

Once completed, the facility will serve as a specialized centre for the management and treatment of obstetric fistula, a major maternal health condition affecting women in the Northern Region.

Ghana will, on Friday, May 23rd, join the global community to mark the annual International Day to End Obstetric Fistula (IDEOF).In 2003, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners launched a global Campaign to End Fistula, in line with international targets to improve maternal and newborn health and with the goal of making obstetric fistula as rare in developing countries as in the developed world.

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to end it by 2030.