Health professionals in Ghana are urging immediate action to combat obstetric fistula, revealing that more than 7,000 women across the country are currently affected by the condition.
The appeal was made during an awareness campaign held in Kumasi to commemorate World Obstetric Fistula Day under the theme, “Her Health Is a Right: Invest to End Fistula and Childbirth Injuries.”
According to medical experts, obstetric fistula is largely caused by prolonged and obstructed labour, especially when women are unable to access prompt emergency medical care during childbirth.
An obstetric specialist with the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Adzi Kofi Gudugbe, explained that the condition develops when extended pressure during labour damages tissues between the bladder and rectum, resulting in uncontrollable leakage of urine or stool.
He noted that women living with the condition often experience severe emotional distress, social isolation, and stigma. In some cases, affected women are abandoned by their partners or wrongly accused of witchcraft because of the condition.
Dr. Gudugbe disclosed that Ghana records about 800 new obstetric fistula cases each year, while recent studies estimate that approximately 7,130 women were living with the condition in 2025.
He emphasized that increasing access to skilled childbirth services and emergency obstetric care is essential to eliminating the condition nationwide. According to him, Ghana would need to successfully repair nearly 2,500 fistula cases annually over the next four years to meet its elimination target.
To support affected women, health authorities and partner organisations have announced free fistula repair surgeries at selected centres across the country from now until mid-June 2026.
Dr. Gudugbe also called on businesses, philanthropists, and other private institutions to support the campaign through financial assistance and partnerships.
Source: joynews
