80% of women in northern Nigeria do not visit health centres during pregnancy- UNFPA

Obstetric Fistula has been identified as one of the challenges responsible for high maternal mortality in Nigeria.

This was revealed in Sokoto at the Fistula repair centre when the Canadian embassy in conjunction with the United Nations Population Funds, UNFPA  supported the fistula repair surgery of over thirty women in the state.

Over  one hundred thousand women across the globe are affected by obstetric fistula annually,  according to a world health organisation report .

Obstetric fistula is an abnormal opening between a woman’s genital tract and her urinary track or rectum . It is directly linked to one of the major causes of maternal mortality and women who experience obstetric fistula suffer constant incontinence, shame, social segregation and and health problems

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Head of Nigeria Office UNPFA, Mariama Darbo is worried. “More than eighty percent of women in northern Nigeria do not attend health centres during pregnancy.

“This has to change in order to improve maternal health in the country.”

In his speech, state commissioner For health, Dr.  Ali Mohammed Inname Sokoto reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to containing the prevalence of the condition, through valuable partnership with relevant development partners

It is estimated that over two million young women live with untreated obstetric fistula in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

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This can be avoided through delaying the age of first pregnancy,  cessation of harmful traditional practices and timely access to obstetric care among others.

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