Mercy Ships Canada and other health organizations and charities around the world are recognizing May 23rd as International Day to End Obstetric Fistula. This year, the date marks not only the 10th anniversary of the UNFPA’s Campaign to End Fistula, but also the 10th year of Mercy Ships involvement in the effort to reduce maternal and infant mortality (Millennium Development Goal #5) through fistula surgeries and education.
Obstetric fistula is a preventable and mostly treatable condition that primarily affects young women from poor backgrounds. Fistula is one of the most devastating of all pregnancy-related disabilities. Usually the result of obstructed labor coupled with a lack of skilled medical care, obstetric fistula most often leads to permanent incontinence.
Since 2003, Mercy Ships surgeons have performed more than 2880 procedures to correct obstetric fistula and related issues on 2490 patients onboard our hospital ships in Africa. Many Canadians have contributed to this accomplishment, volunteering their time and skills and paying their own way to help continue efforts.
This year, Mercy Ships will further increase its ability to build capacity in Western Africa through improved healthcare educational opportunities for African professionals onboard ship. In collaboration with Johnson & Johnson and their family of companies, Mercy Ships is beginning a new Basic Surgical Skills Course in the Republic of the Congo as part of one of the Healthcare Education programs being offered during the Africa Mercy’s upcoming port visit to Pointe Noire (Aug 2013 – May 2014). This course is designed for those from many types of general surgical disciplines including VVF and has been run successfully in Ghana and other locations for several years.
“This specific course has been developed by Johnson & Johnson in collaboration with the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) and has proven to be very effective in strengthening efficiency and surgical skills of the developing nation candidates. This is an important part of the services we will be offering healthcare professionals at the request of the Congo Government,” stated Don Stephens, President & Founder of Mercy Ships.
Since 2006, 15 African surgeons and several expat surgeons have also been able to gain surgical experience alongside experts in the field, thereby increasing national capacity to address the issues of fistula management and care. More recently, 11 ward nurses and two nurse anesthetists have been up-skilled in VVF (vesico-vaginal fistula) care.
Annually the number of maternal deaths worldwide has dropped from more than 543,000 to 287,000, according to a report, “Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990-2010,” released June 2012 by the World Health Organization, the U.N. Population Fund, UNICEF and the World Bank.
According to the UNFPA, motherhood remains a risky endeavor – every two minutes a woman dies in childbirth. While progress has been made in addressing and preventing the devastating condition of obstetric fistula, significantly more must be done in order to treat the approximately 3.5 million women and girls still living with the debilitating condition, as well as the almost 100,000 who develop it every year.
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ABOUT MERCY SHIPS: Mercy Ships uses hospital ships to deliver free, world-class health care services, capacity building and sustainable development to those without access in the developing world. Founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens, Mercy Ships has worked in more than 70 countries providing services valued at more than $1 billion, impacting more than 2.42 million direct beneficiaries. Each year Mercy Ships has more than 1,600 volunteers from over 45 nations. Professionals including surgeons, dentists, nurses, health care trainers, teachers, cooks, seamen, engineers, and agriculturalists donate their time and skills to the effort. Mercy Ships seeks to transform individuals and serve nations one at a time. For more information click on www.mercyships.ca