Fistula
Over 100 women living with fistula have benefited from free surgery and medical advice during a week-long medical camp at Thika Level 5 Hospital, Kiambu County. The women drawn from several parts of the country could not hide their relief after getting the medical attention, following years of suffering having to live with the condition.
Mary Ann Wairimu from Mombasa County says she has lived with the condition since 1992 and has been going through pain unknowing of what she might have been suffering from. The mother of three says life has never been the same since she delivered her last born and has been grappling with ridicule and shame.
“Many of my family and friends shamed me when they knew about my condition. I have lived through serious pain, visited various hospitals with no serious assistance forthcoming. When I learned of this camp, I made sure I avail myself to get free treatment,” Wairimu said.
Wairimu also raised concern over the high number of young women who have attended the camp calling for stakeholders to take action. Linet Andeyo Ombeta an elderly woman from Emuhaya, South Bunyore in Western Kenya says she has suffered painfully since she got the condition eight months ago.
Andeyo narrates that she had been forced to live a lonely life after all her family members isolated her, claiming she was unclean. She says living through the condition has drained her financially while trying to manage to live through the condition.
“I rather get any other disease than having to go through the suffering of living with this condition. I use more than 20 diapers each day to at least stay clean. My family members and close friends have since shunned me. I hope this camp will end the tribulations that I have gone through for the past eight months,” Andeyo said.
The free fistula camp was organized by the Kiambu County partnering with Mpesa Foundation, Flying Doctors’ Society of Africa, and Amref Health Africa. According to Joe Ogutu, Safaricom Foundation Chairman, the institution is leveraging the power of strategic partnerships to weed out fistula in the country.
He said the Foundation aims to impact 1,000 women by the end of this year as it affirms its efforts to restore dignity in the community adding that in Kiambu alone, they have set aside Sh4 million for the cause. “This is a concern for women particularly in the rural areas majorly due to lack of access to pre and antenatal care. There is a need for increased sensitization on the need for expectant mothers to be attended by professionals when giving birth,” Ogutu said.
Kiambu County Health Executive Committee Member Dr Elias Maina said the condition is preventable if more health facilities are closer to the population. He said the county is working on enhancing access to level 3 and 4 hospitals, as well as equipping them to be able to handle maternity services and theatres in cases of cesarean sections.
He raised concern over the increase in the number of young mothers battling this condition and called for more sensitization on the need for early screening. “The only way to beat this condition in the villages is through equipping our level 3 and 4 hospitals with professionals in areas of maternity and that’s what the county government has embarked on,” said Maina.