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UN official urges more funds to help African women suffering obstructed labour

UN official urges more funds to help African women suffering obstructed labour

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Foreign aid to Africa should be directed in part to helping women suffering the after-effects of prolonged or severely obstructed labour, a senior United Nations official today told a gathering in Johannesburg convened to address the condition, which is known as obstetric fistula and affects more than 2 million mothers worldwide.

“We must ensure that some of the additional resources being devoted in Africa through official development assistance are targeted at safe motherhood, including fistula,” said UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Thoraya Obaid.

An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 new cases of fistula occur every year in sub-Saharan Africa, which usually affects women who cannot get access to a Caesarean section to end their suffering after days of labour. The baby often dies and the woman is left with extensive tissue damage to her birth canal that renders her incontinent.

Women with fistula are generally perceived as “unclean” and thus are shunned by their husbands, family and community. But despite this cultural perception, 50 per cent of maternal deaths worldwide occur in Africa, and for each woman that dies, 20 more women suffer from birth and pregnancy-related disabilities, said Ebrahim M. Samba, the World Health Organization (WHO) African Regional Director.

Many women have to travel far to access obstetric care. “The health of our women should not be compromised by their status or location,” South Africa’s Minister of Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said. South Africa plans on building and staffing 1,500 clinics over 11 years in “historically disadvantaged” areas, she said.

Ms. Obaid said African leaders who committed themselves to achieving universal access to reproductive health at the World Summit this year must now integrate this intention into poverty reduction strategies as well as national plans and budgets.

UNFPA is currently leading a global campaign to end fistula in more than 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Arab region. The drive aims to prevent the condition, provide treatment for affected women, and support women after surgery so they can be successfully reintegrated into their communities and families.