Gynecologists say reliance on traditional birth attendants is contributing to the high number of obstetric fistula in Busoga.
An obstetric fistulais an abnormal opening between a woman’s genital tract and her urinary tract or rectum.
The condition is caused by prolonged, obstructed labor which often leaves women leaking urine, feces, or both.
Whereas the national statistics of this condition are estimated at 1.5%, Busoga reportedly is leading in prevalence rates estimated at 2.8%.
Speaking to journalists at the sidelines of the ongoing UNFPA-sponsored Fistula camp at the Jinja regional referral hospital on Thursday, the experts that cases in Busoga are rising because expectant mothers prefer seeking the services of traditional birth attendants when in labour pain.
They say the birth attendants lack the expertise to detect these seemingly minor tares in either the virginal or rectum areas The tares tend to result in Fistula.
Angela Namala, a consultant gynecologist says TBAs lack knowledge of when to sanction delivery during labor pains. Those, she said caused mothers to sustain unprecedented birth injuries, hard to detect in and after the process.
Namala further says that most TBAs refer mothers to health facilities after days of prolonged labor with no room to avert severe birth injuries.
Namala says Busoga is also home to mothers making between 10-12 deliveries under unprofessional healthcare, exposing them to avoidable birth injuries yet preventable with proper antenatal care.
Joseph Woira, the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at the Jinja regional referral hospital says that most mothers have poor health-seeking behaviors.
He said they are reluctant to seek expert care after delivering from either TBAs or their homes. He said without expert advice after delivery, it is difficult to detect and manage of Fistula in its primal stages.
Woira says most victims tend to blame fistula for witchcraft and in self-denial distance themselves from medical treatment.
He said since Fistula is a demeaning condition, which lowers the esteem of her victims, most of them shy away from confiding in health workers about the condition.
Poverty and Fistula
Woira however, says that much as there are several government-manned health facilities in most sub-counties across, most of the victims lack transport fees of as low as 1000 Shillings to facilitate their movement to for either safe delivery or fistula management.
Jinja Regional Referral Hospital’s Deputy Director, Afiz Kibuuka revealed that they are collaborating with UNFPA and other partners to conduct six fistula camps this year.
Kibuuka says that they will handle 180 Fistula surgeries at Jinja Hospital and Namayingo-based Buyinja Health Center IV in six months.
Kibuuka further says that Jinja Hospital has a fully constituted team of gynecologists ready to handle Fistula cases across the sub-region and he encouraged all the victims to embrace their weekly clinics for screening.
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