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FISTULA-DISEASE-WOMEN (UNICEF Feature)
5 women among 3000 suffer from obstetric fistula: survey
DHAKA, Oct 11, 2018 (BSS) – Five women among every 3000 ever married women
of Bangladesh suffer from obstetric fistula, according to a survey of
EngenderHealth Bangladesh. The EngenderHealth Bangladesh in cooperation with
UNFPA conducted the survey that showed grim picture of obstetric fistula
affected patients due to inadequate knowledge about the disease.
Ramiza, 42, of Bamna Bazar Sheikh Para village under Badarganj upazila of
Rangpur district, is an unfortunate, depressed lady bearing the curse of
fistula for long 30 years. She was married and prematurely became pregnant.
Following prolonged labour, she gave birth to a dead baby at the Dinajpur
Haldibari Hospital and developed obstetric fistula. As such she was rejected
by her husband. Ramiza again got married but because of bad odor, she was
again thrown out of home after two days.
As she always lives with a bad smell so was isolated by her husband,
family and society and left alone.
Kulsum Begum (not real name) got married when she was only 14. She is now
about 40 years old and mother of three children. Kulsum was affected with
fistula while giving birth to her first child.
As a result of different health complications caused by fistula, Kulsum
started to get harsh behavior from her husband. Utter negligence of her
husband forced Kulsum to be separated from her family life. She is now living
an isolated life in the society.
Both Ramiza and Kulsum got married at their early age. Like Ramiza and
Kulsum, thousands of adolescents and teenage girls are becoming victims of
fistula disease because of their pregnancy at an immature age and inadequate
healthcare facilities.
Deputy Country Director of Save the Children Dr Ishtiaq Mannan said unsafe
delivery by unskilled birth attendants and prolonged delivery complications
causes fistula disease.
In most cases, poor women are the worst sufferers of fistula disease as
they hardly get adequate healthcare facilities with unsafe delivery
experiences by unskilled birth attendants at their home, he added.
“Fistula affected women experience uncontrolled, non-stop passage of urine
and feces per vagina. This happen when the birth canal gets connected with
urinary system and rectum through abnormal holes,” he added.
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