By Patricia Mashiri
At age 13 In 1987, a few years after Zimbabwe had attained her independence, Gogo Memory Nyazvigo now 50, from Mudzi, Nyamapanda went to the health facility expecting to deliver her first child.
Unfortunately, she lost the baby during childbirth as he came head first and got stuck in the birth canal, prompting doctors to conduct an emergency cesarean section.
A few days that followed, she started experiencing something unusual. She would mess her clothes and would pass out urine uncontrollably, a condition known as Obstetric Fistula. An obstetric fistula is an abnormal opening between the vagina and the bladder of rectum leading to continuous urinary or faecal incontinence. Approximately 95 per cent of fistula cases are caused by obstructed labour, which also normally sees 70 per cent of the babies die in the process.
From 1987 till recently, Gogo Nyazvigo had not found any solution to her problem despite her efforts to look for help in other facilities. After all the trials she went through, hope was lost and she became a loner who was now shying away and hiding from the public eye. She feared being ridiculed about her hygiene standards due to the leaking of urine that she could not control.
Women who mostly suffer from this condition are usually those who live far away from health care facilities and sometimes those who opt to give birth from home without monitoring from the facilities. These may include young adolescent women.
Because of the condition the women’s private parts are always wet most of them end up with infections including urinary traction infections , bruises and wounds and ulcers which further worsens their situations.
The condition is worse when one has diarrhoea.
Through social media gogo Nyazvigo was able to hear about the Chinhoyi Fistula camp from her niece who also had a similar problem and decided to come for help. On Thursday 19 September 2024, when she had her Fistula condition corrected.
I heard of this good initiative from my niece. She came to my house with her husband and told me that she had saw it on social media. She had a similar condition so she wanted us to travel together. She even offered me busfare. When we arrived on Wednesday we were greater by warm faces although I had so much doubt that it will work and told to wait for the doctors”she said with a smiling face,” said Gogo Nyazvigo.
Before 2015, Zimbabwe did not have fistula repair programing. The procedure was conducted in high-end private hospitals only which in most cases costs an arm and a leg and is not affordable to majority of women and girls from poor backgrounds.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care (Mohcc) has since collaborated with the UNFPA and Atermedis International to conduct Obstetric Fistula repair camps. The surgery is free of charge and women are provided with menstrual kits , bath towels and soap and bus-fares.
“My corrective surgery was done on Thursday. When I came from the surgery I could not believe what I saw. I checked the bed where I was sleeping on and saw that I had not messed it like I used to. Ndakaona kuti ndava mhandara futi (I felt like a virgin),” she said with so much delight on her face.
Although she was suffering from the fistula condition, gogo Nyazvigo managed to have four other kids.
Social isolation is usually associated with this condition as a lot of people shun being close to the affected person because of leakage of urine and sometimes faeces.
“Although my husband supported and did not shun me away, I always stigmatised myself and kept away from people especially from the community . I avoided gatherings at all cost. If I attended gatherings, I would sit alone to avoid people from noticing the fowl smell which came from me. Sometimes I would leave the place messed. I used rags most of the time,” gogo Nyazvigo said.
Speaking during the tour of the Chinhoyi Fistula Camp,Dr Chipo Chimamise-Dembedza, National Maternal Health Officer said they started the camp in August 2015.
“Up to date we have repaired 1894 women. It means that a lot of women are suffering in the community. We had a woman who was repaired at 79 years she had stayed with the fistula problem for 47 years down in the community.
As a program, we are looking forward to identify those women and link them to care so that they can be repaired. These women have a right to a dignified life just like you and me,” she said.
She added that they more people need to be reached and reintegrated back into their communities.
Sister Charity Matambo,sister in charge Gynaecological ward at Chinhoyi Hospital said they have been helping a lot of women since the inception of the program.
“At the moment we have 15 women admitted, 11 have been helped so far one is waiting for her surgery on Monday and three have been discharged. We hope this program will continue such that the women in the communities will have their dignity restored. I also urge other martenal nurses to be vigilant in our work so that we will reduce the burden of Obsetric Fistula,” Sr Matambo said.
The fistula program has been decentralised to other hospitals including Mashoko hospital in Masvingo, Mutambara hospital in Chimanimani, Chidamoyo in Mashonaland West and Makonde Christian in Mhangura.
Statistics shows Obstetric fistula is a serious global health issue, affecting approximately 50,000 to 100,000 women annually, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.
Health officials in Zimbabwe have estimated as many as 50 women and girls suffer pregnancy related morbidities – including obstetric fistula – every day. WHO indicates that generally, the number of maternal injuries, or ‘morbidities’ may be up to 30 times higher than the number of maternal deaths.
