BSS: Experts at an advocacy meeting today stressed on ensuring 100 percent service delivery to identify obstetric fistula patients and institutional delivery of mothers to end fistula from the country by 2030.
They put importance on conducting more publicity involving field level health and family planning workers on prevention of obstetric fistula and inspiring fistula patients to avail cost-free treatment facilities.
They viewed this at the ‘National advocacy meeting on end obstetric fistula’ jointly organised by the Rangpur and Rajshahi Divisional Offices of the Department of Family Planning (DFP) at a hotel in Bogura town, said a press release issued in Rangpur on Wednesday.
The Directorate General of Health Services, DFP and Lutheran Aid to Medicine in Bangladesh (LAMB) and UNFPA Bangladesh funded Elimination of Genital Fistula by Capturing, Treating, Rehabilitating and Reintegrating in Bangladesh (FRRei) project extended technical support in arranging the event.
Rangpur Divisional Director of the DFP Dewan Morshed Kamal attended the event as chief guest.
Project Manager of LAMB FRRei project Mahtab Liton delivered a welcome speech and narrated an overview of the project activities in 11 districts of Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions since 2018.
Deputy Project Manager Dr Thamina Khatun Sonia presented the progress report and highlights of the ongoing project activities.
Technical Officer of UNFPA Bangladesh Dr. Animesh Biswas explained the current situation of female Genital Fistula, reasons behind the curable diseases, sufferings of fistula patients and ongoing cost-free treatment facilities in Bangladesh.
He discussed services being provided to fistula patients by LAMB Hospital, different medical college hospitals, district and upazila level hospitals, union level health service providing facilities in identifying and referral of fistula patients for treatments.
The experts put importance on early diagnosis of obstetric fistula patients to bring them under cost-free treatment facilities on time for their recovery to end the curable disease.
Putting stress on identification of fistula patients, Dewan Morshed Kamal said field level workers of the government, including health and family planning workers, should be motivated enough as they could play the most crucial role towards the direction.
“Ensuring institutional delivery of pregnant mothers, regular antenatal and postnatal care and supervision and high risk case detection alongside avoiding unnecessary cesarean surgeries are crucial to eliminate obstetric fistula,” he said.
“We need to produce more qualified surgeons by imparting training to enhance their surgical skills to avoid any unintentional inaccuracy during cesarean surgeries for preventing new cases of iatrogenic fistula,” he added.
