Fistula Repair

IMA World Health Hosts Fistula Prevention and Treatment Conference

The IMA-led and USAID-funded integrated health program, Project AXxes, co-hosted a three-day meeting on the prevention and treatment of vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) in the DRC capital, Kinshasa, from April 27 to 29. In addition to Ministry of Health and USAID representatives, the meeting was attended by international and local nongovernmental organizations active in addressing VVF in Congo. Participants included surgeons from government and faith-based hospitals, including Panzi Hospital in Bukavu and HEAL hospital in Goma, which have been at the forefront of providing services to female survivors of gender-based violence in the context of conflict and war.

VVF is a condition in which tearing, often as a result of childbirth at a young age or trauma, causes permanent incontinence in women leading to social isolation, ostracism and often rejection by family members and extreme depression. A surgical intervention is the only corrective measure available so that affected women can return to their respected roles in their communities. VVF is especially common in the war-torn eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo where rampant rape and poor medical care have exacerbated an already dire maternal situation.

Highlights and achievements of the meeting included a comprehensive review of treatment and prevention of VVF in the DRC and updates on current and planned activities. The April 2010 conference was a follow up to the IMA co-sponsored November 2009 conference in and reviewed successes of recent months and an action plan was agreed for future implementation. Especially important for the many VVF surgeons in attendance were technical discussions and presentations on urinary diversion techniques. Sharing of ideas among the greater network of VVF service providers was one of the major achievements of the meeting.

Project AXxes continues to provide quality surgical treatment with VVF repairs to over 500 women per year through support of targeted facilities and mobile clinics. IMA, as one of the leading providers of VVF treatment in the DRC, is also supporting a study on the quality of care provided to women with VVF which highlights the social and other factors which prevent women from accessing care as a first step towards increasing the numbers of those who come forward for counseling and treatment.