Ugandan women need access to fistula repair

The Ugandan Ministry of Health suggests that there could be up to 200,000 women living with obstetric fistula in the country.

It is a condition which occurs when a hole develops between the bladder and vagina after complications during childbirth.

Dr Olive Sentumbwe, who is in charge of Family Health and Population at the World Health Organization in Kampala, told the Daily Monitor that many women in the country deliver their child at home or without the help of a trained health worker.

"Because every pregnancy carries a risk of developing a life-threatening complication, women should be able to deliver with the help of a trained health worker," she explained, adding that authorities should address any complications in "a timely manner”.

Dr Sentumbwe said that in order for the number of fistula cases in Uganda to be reduced, all women need to have access to professional health services.