International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Cases of obstetric fistula are on the rise in Uganda, a specialist based in the nation says.

According to health minister Dr Christine Ondoa, neglected labour is the reason for the increase in the condition.

As many as 200,000 women in Uganda are thought to suffer from obstetric fistula, reports Ultimate Media.

Dr Ondoa pointed out that it is women who give birth at an early age or relatively late in life who have high chances of developing fistula when they give birth.

Health equipment has now been donated to Uganda in a bid to reduce the number of cases of obstetric fistula in the country.

It is believed close to 2,000 new cases of obstetric fistula are recorded in Uganda every year.

Figures from the World Health Organization suggest the condition - which is claimed to be highly preventable - affects between 50,000 and 100,000 women around the world every year.

Posted by Alexandra George