Ministry, foundation sensitise FCT residents on VVF

The Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Survive Fistula Health Care  Foundation (SFHCF), has sensitised  residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) about obstetric fistula commonly known as Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF). The sensitisation was done  with support from the Christian Blind Mission ( CBM) under the Women’ s Health Project in Kuje […]

The Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Survive Fistula Health Care  Foundation (SFHCF), has sensitised  residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) about obstetric fistula commonly known as Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF).

The sensitisation was done  with support from the Christian Blind Mission ( CBM) under the Women’ s Health Project in Kuje to mark this year’s World Obstetric Fistula Day.

Speaking during the exercise, National Coordinator of Obstetric Fistula of the Federal Ministry of Health,  Mrs. Peters Ogunmayin Idowu, said VVF was a major health issue in Nigeria and that many people affected still hid their conditions and shied away from seeking treatment.

She said May 23, was marked as the World Obstetric Fistula Day to create awareness about the burden of the condition to policy makers, governments, philanthropists and the general public, as well as to make people know the causes, ways of prevention and treatment.

The expert advised women to attend antenatal when they were pregnant  and deliver in health facilities where they would be attended to by experts.

“Girls should also be educated. That gap of going to school will make them to delay pregnancy and getting married,” she said.

Dr. Abiodun Ahmodu,  Project Manager of SFHCF, said a baseline survey carried out by the foundation in two communities of Kuje identified 10 women as having VVF.

She said the foundation would soon  organise a free medical treatment for VVF patients at the Kwali General Hospital and advised those suffering from the condition to take the opportunity.