UPHS Physicians Travel to Eritrea, Africa
to
Treat Obstetric Fistula
(Continued from Page
1)
In Eritrea, Africa’s newest country, approximately
80 percent of deliveries occur without a physician
or trained midwife. The Eritrean Ministry of Health
has instituted a major initiative to treat and
prevent obstetric fistula. This includes the construction
of a dedicated fistula hospital, enhancing public
awareness about the dangers of protracted labor,
and recruiting and training both midwives and
obstetricians to attend to complicated labors.
The United Nations Population Fund is helping
to support this project as part of their global
initiative, The Campaign to End Fistula.
Although success rates of 90 percent are reported
in repairing straightforward fistulas, many complex
cases require multiple procedures or occasionally
urinary diversion, a technique not commonly available
in the developing world. Dr. Morgan has been working
with physicians from other major institutions
throughout the country to bring assistance and
advanced techniques to other communities in Africa.
Working with The International Organization for
Women and Development, a non-profit organization
from New York, Dr. Morgan has recently traveled
to Niger, one of Africa’s poorest countries.
Dr. Morgan notes, “This project not only
treats women with fistulas, but also provides
vocational training to try to help reintegrate
women back into their society after surgery. A
nursing and management team from Pennsylvania
Hospital has developed a plan for a “fistula
wing” to the National Hospital in the capital
of Niamey and future plans include integration
of obstetrical and midwifery services from Penn
to help attack the cause of the problem, which
is the lack of obstetrical care.”
Dr. Arya states, “Even though fistulas
due to obstructed labor are rare in the U.S.,
we do occasionally see patients with both urinary
and rectal fistulas in Philadelphia. These fistulas
are smaller than those seen in Africa but can
cause severe urinary and fecal incontinence.”
The rarity of obstetric fistula in the United
States (and other western countries) represents
one of the true success stories of modern obstetrics.
The virtual eradication of this complication in
modern societies over the past 150 years is a
testament to the implementation of prenatal care
and the availability of health care providers
that are able to intervene in complicated cases.
Physicians and nurses who participate in the
Eritrean Women’s Project donate their time.
Monetary donations received are used for transportation
and medical supplies. For further information
on how to donate to this effort, contact Sheryl
Coplan at 215-746-3009 or scoplan@ben.dev.upenn.edu.
More information on obstetric fistula can be found
at www.endfistula.org
or www.nigerfistula.org.
|
