fistula

Fast Facts

• 4-5000 Pakistani women suffer from fistula every year
• It is usually caused by prolonged, obstructed labour.
• It causes discomfort, shame and social stigma
• 80-90% of fistula cases can be surgically repaired.
• The Fistula Repair Centre, Lahore,  provides treatment free of charge

The Problem of Fistula

4-5000 Pakistani women suffer from fistula every year.
Fistula often occurs when a woman gets pregnant very young, or goes through a long labour. Tissues inside her vagina tear, and urine and faeces may leak out constantly. This is a source of lifelong shame, pain and discomfort for thousands of women.
Yet in most cases, fistula can be repaired by qualified surgeons. It can even be prevented by good medical care during childbirth. ▪

Fistula Repair Centre

Since 2006, JSCD has been the implementing partner of the Fistula Repair Centre at Lady Willingdon Hospital, Lahore.
Serving 14 densely populated districts, the Repair Centre specialises in repairing fistula free of charge.
The Fistula Repair Centre has a full-fledged operation theatre, devoted to fistula repair. A team of trained consultants perform operations 6 days a week.
A 10-bed ward is available for patients, as well as a separate outdoor facility for post-operative care.
The Fistula Centre’s services are offered free of charge. ▪

Catchments

• Faisalabad
• Gujranwala
• Gujrat
• Hafizabad
• Jhang
• Lahore
• Mandi Bahauddin
• Nankana
• Narowal
• Okara
• Sargodha
• Sheikhupura
• Sialkot
• Toba Tek Singh

Facility Renovations

When JSCD joined the Fistula Repair Centre as implementing partner, it found that facilities were in a very poor condition.
JSCD arranged to have the operating theatre fully renovated. It renovated the ward, and has arranged for new equipment, including an anaesthesia machine.
By the third month of JSCD’s intervention, 14 patients had already availed the Fistula Centre’s facilities, and numbers are expected to grow as awareness spreads. ▪

Spreading Awareness

Fistula does not condemn a woman to a lifetime of shame and discomfort.
We have targeted the 14 catchment districts of Lady Willingdon Hospital to spread this message.
Four awareness seminars are held every quarter in different districts, to tell paramedics, women and their families that fistula can be prevented and treated. Recent seminars have attracted over 150 participants each.
We’re also taking our message into the home.
Our radio programmes are broadcast on FM 100, the most popular radio station in this catchment area. With in-depth discussions on fistula and the services offered at the Fistula Repair Centre, women can make informed decisions about their own health from their own homes.▪

“fistula can be prevented”
“fistula can be treated”