The Untold Story Of VVF And The Nigeria Health Minister

THE UNTOLD STORY OF VVF AND THE NIGERIA HEALTH MINISTER

The unpleasant and heart breaking lamentations of Nigeria women living with Vesico – Vaginal Fistula is enough reasons for government to declare another state emergence on the economic depriving disease. Stories of rejection, depression, isolation and mental frustration  are usually the case of these helpless women caught in the web of VVF.  According to Mrs. Iyabo Olaseku (NOT REAL NAME), a 35year old resident of Erinmo Ijesa, a suburb town in Ilesa, her VVF story which started 3years ago is very devastating and dehumanizing as she has lost everything called self-worth and esteem, despite the conclusive repair of the VVF surgery, she might find it difficult to fully reintegrate herself into the society, going by the pyramids of challenges and condemnation she has suffered.

Another pathetic story of Hajia Sadia Kolawole (NOT REAL NAME) who is a mother of two children, transferred from a Lagos hospital will bring unending tears to one’s eyes. In her words, “I have been completely abandoned by family, relatives and even my husband is nowhere to be found in the last two years. I used to be a trader but as it is now, I have been economically devalued as I can not  stand in public places for too long because of the bad odour emanating from my body”, she said.

All these, are the various testimonies of the 26 admitted patients of the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa for the FREE Obstetric Fistula Surgical Repair organized by the Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Osun State Government, twenty three of the patients have been rejected and abandoned in the society, as they are either divorced or separated as only two are still under a man`s roof. They have become financial burdens to the community which they belong as they are not employable due to the stigmatization and serial loss of dignity over time. It has also affected profoundly their emotional and psychological wellbeing. An obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder that is caused by prolonged obstructed labour, leaving a woman incontinent of urine or faeces or both. More than 75% of women with obstetric fistula have endured labour that lasted three days or more. In the western part of Nigeria, cases of obstetric fistula is from havoc of traditional birth attendance and from mismanagement of CS in some conventional hospital.

In his words at the commemorative event to declare the surgery opened, the Country Project Manager of USAID Fistula Care Plus, Chief Iyeme Ifem decried the deafening silence and long years of medical denial that VVF is only restricted to the Northern axis of the country, he affirmed that the massive turnout of people for the project in the South West has revealed that many sufferers are hidden, not treated and not available as none of the 26 patients are Hausa speaking people. He admonished patients of VVF to cry out and seek medical help by reporting to the nearest teaching hospital in their locality.
Vesico – Vaginal Fistula (VVF) is an abnormal fistulous trait extending between the bladder and the vaginal that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vagina vault. In most cases which research has revealed, 90% are caused from prolonged obstructed labour during the first or second child bearing process which is often associated with marked pressure necrosis, edema, tissue sloughing and cicatrization. Studies have shown that cultural beliefs of marriage and conception at a very young age often before full pelvic growth has been achieved is the most prevalent causative factor, coupled with no supervised antenatal care by quack medical professionals during child birth and prolong labour.

Accolades and encouraging words of commendation should be credited to the driver of the initiator, himself a professor Gynecology and Obstetrics who by providence and design is the present occupant of the federal ministry of health, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole for taking giant stride in evolving and revolutionizing the entire medical sector in the last twenty four months. He started the free cervical and breast screening for women in the 2016, he initiated the North East Emergency Nutritional and Medical Response, and has equally promised to ensure smooth implementation of more surgeries of the VVF in the 2018 budget.

Matching his words with action to ensure corresponding result, the minister led a team of experienced professionals including the National President of International Society of Fistula Surgeon, Professor Oladosu Ojengbende to the Federal Medical Centre Jabi, Abuja sometimes in October 2016 where successful surgeries were carried out on more than 50 patients. In a rare display of patriotic conduct to his oath of allegiance as a medical doctor and not considering his busy schedule as the country health minister, he was on another lifesaving mission to the Wesley Guild Hospital Ilesa with more capable hands to perform another round of VVF repairs on the suffering women.
Again, Prof. Oladosu  Ojengbende, the Minister`s Special Adviser, Dr. I.O Morhason Bello also a consultant Genitourinary & Urogynecology also joined the Health Minister,  Prof. Adewole in surgical apparel for the three days marathon surgical operations for VVF repairs. In his short address at the event in Ilesa, “this is our small way of showing leadership and concern to the plight of the suffering masses, and our display of affection must be a thorough practical approach of putting smiles on their faces, removing shame and reproach, restoring dignity to womanhood and more importantly lifting the undue financial burden the disease has placed on them” Findings revealed that ordinarily, the cost of  Vesico – Vaginal Fistula repairs in medical facility is not less than N500,000 and this is what the leadership of the ministry of health under Adewole  with support from USAID is embarking on for FREE, this is noble, unique and must be commended by all.
The unresolved backlog of over 300,000 women living with VVF in Nigeria is a serious concern to the USAID and the health ministry, one of the pivotal reasons why the Health minister advocated for regular trainings for volunteers in the specialized medical field to present themselves for the opportunity to join forces together with the federal government to channel available resources in reducing the cases of Fistula in the country, where he publicly announced that the Ilesa Wesley Guild Hospital will become a centre for VVF operations in Nigeria. Prof Adewole reiterated the fact that simple way to prevent obstetric fistula is to be delivered safety by skilled medical personnel.