Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital has brought hope and dignity to 40 women and girls through free surgeries to treat obstetric fistula, a debilitating condition caused by prolonged obstructed labour that leaves women leaking urine or stool uncontrollably.
The operations, led by Dr. Musa Kayondo, head of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a renowned urogynaecologist, are part of the hospital’s quarterly fistula camp.
Dr. Kayondo noted that obstetric fistula is particularly common among teenage mothers and women with narrow birth canals, who face complications during childbirth.
“It’s estimated that over 50 mothers undergo fistula operations every three months,” he said, emphasizing the hospital’s commitment to addressing the condition.
The surgeries, offered at no cost, included meals and transport for patients and their caretakers.
Obstetric fistula is one of the most serious and tragic childbirth injuries. A hole between the birth canal and bladder or rectum, it is caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without access to timely, high-quality medical treatment.
Most women who suffer the condition endure urine incontinence which leads to being ostracised by families and the society due to the acrid smell from leaking urine.
A catheter or urinary diversion may be used to solve the incontinence but a surgery is usually required to fix the hole.
Halson Kagure, the hospital’s public relations officer, described the initiative as vital, saying, “The fistula camp happens every three months as part of the hospital’s initiative to reduce the burden of females with fistula complications.”
Many families expressed gratitude for the comprehensive care provided. Melesi Kamugisha, a mother from Bushenyi, praised the initiative: “We have been fed, and my child has been operated on.
We are receiving transport back home, and we shall soon be discharged.” Her daughter, Prima Naijuka, aged 10, suffered severe injuries from an accident.
“It was one day when I was standing on a stool in the kitchen veranda, and I fell off. The stool hit me and damaged my private parts. Blood started flowing, followed by urine that never stopped,” Naijuka recounted.
Another patient, Juliet Ainembabazi, shared her experience: “When I was giving birth, I got complications and have suffered fistula for over a year. I cannot do any house chores or garden work because of my condition. When I carry anything, my urinary bladder pains.”
Dr Deus Twesigye, acting director of the hospital, stressed the importance of collective efforts to combat the root causes of obstetric fistula.
“These medical conditions will never disappear up to zero level. They just reduce in numbers, and it needs concerted effort,” Dr Twesigye said.
He called for intensified awareness campaigns to prevent early marriages and teenage pregnancies, which are significant contributors to the condition.
“This information should trickle down to other places, for example, in institutions and schools. We are using all well-wishers in the communities to disseminate this information to avoid early marriages and child pregnancies,” he added, urging sustained community engagement to eradicate obstetric fistula.