At the end of the 19th century, the first hospital to treat obstetric fistula was built in New York, since then, this dreaded and serious injury has been solved in developed countries, but it is a disease that still causes fear in poor countries.
The obstetric fistula It occurs when a prolonged or obstructed delivery for whatever reason is not treated properly. Due to the effort that the mother must make during childbirth and the pressure of the baby's head against the pelvic tissue for several hours and even days, there is no blood flow in these tissues, which die and produce a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum. The first trauma is that the baby normally dies, only one in ten survives. But in addition, this wound causes a constant loss of urine or feces, and as a consequence, the woman always smells, suffering the contempt of her partner and her relatives. The United Nations Population Fund warned yesterday that thousands of women in poor countries die every year from this injury which could be prevented with a follow-up of pregnancy carried out by expert personnel and adequate means to intervene by caesarean section if necessary, in addition to due postpartum treatment.
Yesterday an advertising campaign was presented in the United Kingdom that should be extended to other countries, it is only necessary that governments be interested. Donations are requested to perform obstetric fistula operations in poor countries, the price is about € 255 where rehabilitation is also included. If you want to contribute something, you can request information at www.endfistula.org.
