Plans to integrate the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula into Ghana’s free primary healthcare system have been outlined by Hon. Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, Deputy Minister for Health and MP for Essikadu-Ketan.
Additionally, specialist surgical capabilities will be expanded through the Mahama Cares initiative.
During her address to Parliament, the
Deputy Minister detailed the severe consequences women suffer due to this condition. “When it’s a VVF, the woman is constantly leaking urine. When it’s recto vaginal, the woman is constantly leaking stool,” she said.
“Most of them their husbands leave them with a baby and they can’t even go to work… because of that they are stigmatised.”
Hon. Ayensu-Danquah shared that Ghana experienced roughly 955 maternal fatalities in the past year, highlighting a troubling rise in cases.
“The maternal mortality index in Ghana is trending the wrong direction,” she told the House. “Last year we had about nine hundred and fifty-five women die in pregnancy or while they were getting delivery.”
Because the majority of births occur at foundational medical facilities, the Deputy Minister explained that fistula care is better suited for the free primary healthcare framework rather than the Mahama Cares program.
“Most of these deliveries are happening at the CHPS compound level, at the health centre level and also at the polyclinic level,” she noted.
“So the free primary health care will capture this condition because we can also use the community health nurses to talk about community sensitization.” She pointed out that while over 80% of pregnant women utilize skilled delivery services, there appear to be critical shortcomings in recognising complications early.
“Either we are not identifying them at the source… or that there’s something inherent in the operations that we are doing.”
Primary healthcare will manage initial detection and prevention, whereas Mahama Cares will focus on upgrading advanced surgical expertise. “With the Mahama Cares we will train the specialist who are going to do these operations because you need a urogynecologist,” Hon. Ayensu-Danquah said.
“A urogynecologist will not only work on fistulas but can also do other complex operations.”
Collaborating with the UNFPA, the government is setting up specialized facilities to manage the condition.
“We have stand-alone fistulas centres, one in Yendi where the family can even come and live there and then we can do the surgery and do appropriate post operative care,” she said. She also mentioned her recent trips to Tamale, Yendi, and Kumasi to directly assess the situation.
The Ministry of Health is currently completing a maternal mortality action plan that features a definitive strategy to anchor obstetric fistula treatment within free primary healthcare.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana