FG yet to adopt Bauchi VVF centre 2 years after approval

A Bauchi state-run centre treating women with vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) in the North East is yet to be taken over by the federal government more than two years after its takeover was approved by the Presidency and the National Council on Health. The Federal Ministry of Health set up a committee to assess the needs […]

A Bauchi state-run centre treating women with vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) in the North East is yet to be taken over by the federal government more than two years after its takeover was approved by the Presidency and the National Council on Health.

The Federal Ministry of Health set up a committee to assess the needs of the VVF Centre in Ningi, Bauchi, ahead of its possible adoption as a national free-standing centre of excellence for treating and rehabilitating women with obstetric fistula, as well as training, prevention and research into the condition.
A federal government committee set up to assess facilities at the VVF Centre in Ningi, identify gaps and areas of need and “make recommendations for upgrading” the VVF Centre at Ningi to a national centre, said health permanent secretary Sani Bala at the committee’s inauguration on Monday in Abuja.
It will also consider the “suitability and adequacy of personnel in line with guidelines on appointed in federal public service, evaluate funding and financial profile of the centre and make other recommendations toward a smooth takeover of the centre,” Bala added.
Long time coming
The National Council on Health approved that the centre be designated national in 2011 at the request of Bauchi government. A later approval from the presidency paved way for takeover of the centre by the Federal Ministry of Health.
VVF affects thousands of women in Nigeria, causing major morbidities.
The prevalence of fistula among Nigerian women is uncertain—ranging from 148,000 to 800,000, according to latest statistics—with Nigeria having the largest burden among the 2 million women with the condition globally.
Treatment is available at a handful of centres around the country are run and supported in projects as USAID’s FistulaCare and UNFPA.
In addition to Ebonyi, where treatment first started, Bauchi is among few states that have shown “commitment and high political visibility to issues of women suffering this scourge,” said Bala.
At least 200 women have been treated at the Bauchi centre, reports say. But it has been beset with manpower shortage in recent times.
One report said the centre had only one VVF specialists and had to periodically ship in experts from Sokoto state for VVF surgeries.