The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Ghana has joined forces with First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, through The Rebecca Foundation, alongside other key stakeholders, to establish the Partnership to End Obstetric Fistula in Ghana (PEFIG).
Other stakeholders of the PEFIG include the World Food Programme (WFP), Access Bank, MTN, Fidelity Bank, AT Telecommunications, and Ghana Health Service (GHS), National Population Council (NPC), and Media and Communications Advocacy Network (MCAN).
Obstetric fistula is a debilitating childbirth injury that unduly affects women in low-income settings, facilitating health inequalities and limiting women’s access to maternal healthcare.
Speaking at the launch of the partnership at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital yesterday, the Country Representative of UNFPA Ghana, Dr. Wilfred Ochan, said the partnership would help in the elimination of the pervasive obstetric fistula among women in the country and beyond.
Commitment
He expressed delight at the commitment of the First Lady and other partners, and called for the support of all relevant stakeholders in making the campaign a sustainable and successful one.
“Today marks another giant stride towards our agenda to eliminate this troubling situation of obstetric fistula among women. We at UNFPA Ghana want to express our sincerest gratitude to the First Lady of this country for her commitment to ensuring that the fight to eliminate this case has been won,” he stated.
Dr. Ochan stressed the need for increased partnership to support the provision of services for fistula victims.
He indicated that UNFPA had been supporting the National Obstetric Fistula Programme in various capacities, including providing financial support for surgical repairs of survivors, building the capacity of surgeons, equipping facilities, and engaging in advocacy on obstetric fistula.
However, he said, ending fistula requires a multi-faceted approach, including investments in health systems, education, and gender equality and this calls for partnerships.
He also thanked all private and public partners who had joined in this campaign. He stressed that it is only through an integrated and collaborative approach that Ghana can win this battle and restore the lost smiles on the faces of women who go through inconveniences.
Fistula eradication
For her part, the First Lady expressed that pregnancy and childbirth are inherent parts of God’s plan for the continuity of life. She emphasised the global desire of women to have children, considering it a biological and socio-cultural fulfillment.
Addressing the grim reality of complicated pregnancies, the First Lady acknowledged the need for urgent interventions to safeguard both the mother and unborn child.
She indicated that obstetric fistula is as one of the most distressing challenges for women due to the associated stigmatization and trauma.
Mrs Akufo-Addo, therefore, urged stakeholders of the PEFIG to actively work towards reducing the gap between fistula repairs and the actual number of women suffering from this condition. She underlined the preventive aspect, emphasizing that maintaining good health during pregnancy is key to averting obstetric fistula.
The First Lady further announced her office’s partnership in eradicating fistula in the country, disclosing that “an initial seed fund to support the repair of 20 cases this year to reinforce her dedication to addressing the challenges surrounding maternal health”.
The collaboration
The collaborative effort is a 7-year campaign until 2030, which seeks to garner the public sector, the United Nations (UN), the private sector, NGOs, community actors, and individuals with the objectives of strengthening routine fistula repair in hospitals as well as organising fistula repair campaigns in selected areas to accelerate the clearing of backlog cases in communities.
The partnership has mobilised resources for about 200 cases to be repaired in 2023, up from what has been annual performance of 100 cases repaired per year.
The partnership will also explore socio-economic reintegration of fistula survivors into the community.
Some stakeholders during the launch of the Partnership to End Obstetric Fistula in Ghana (PEFIG)
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