Campaign to end fistula launched in Western Bahr el Ghazal

The ministry of health and the UN Population Fund (UNPFA) have launched a one-month campaign to create awareness of and end fistula in Western Bahr el Ghazal, at Wau Teaching Hospital.

A campaign to end fistula taken up by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the UN population Fund – UNFPA in Western Bahr el Ghazal state receives good responses, and the campaign will run for one-month at Wau Teaching Hospital. 

So far, the campaign that targets up to 100 women from Western and Northern Bahr el-Ghazal states has received a good response from the locals, with more than 20 women having undergone surgery since the launch last week.

Speaking to media from Wau, UNFPA Representative to South Sudan Barnabas Yisa says there are experts on the ground to conduct the operations for free. 

“At present, we have over 60 patients admitted in Wau Hospital and about 20 of them have been treated so far,” he said.

Yisa urged women to turn up in large numbers for treatment. He said that they will not be required to pay anything, both in terms of their transport from their villages to Wau Teaching Hospital and back to their villages.

He added that while in hospital in Wau, the UNFPA, WFP and the ministry of health will feed them and provide all the sustenance they need, thus they don’t need to use any of their money.

Fistula is a dangerous medical condition characterized by a hole in the birth canal caused by prolonged labour due to the lack of timely and adequate medical care.

Many women in South Sudan have been suffering from this disease because of lack health facilities; the campaign has raised hope of better health for women in Western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states.