The wife of the Niger State Governor, Dr. Amina Sani Bello, has conducted a free surgical camp for women with Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) in the state.
The camp, which has about 20 women with the condition from across Niger State, is aimed at improving the maternal health of women in the state.
The women were operated on free by the Governor’s wife and VVF surgeons who were drawn from Katsina and Kano states.
Speaking to journalist at the General Hospital, Kontagora, Dr. Bello said that the aim was to proffer treatment to the women who had VVF and had no money to treat them surgically, adding that curing them from the ailment would give them a better life.
According to her, “VVF is a terrible condition which usually affects women in the poor areas and because they are poor, it is difficult to get treatment.
“What we have done in collaboration with Sani Bello Foundation and Niger State Government, is to call Fistula surgeons who are experts in treating the diseases surgically, so that those affected can have the surgery free and be integrated back into the society.”
Bello further said that she was planning to open a VVF centre in Niger State to address the backlog of women with VVF who have not been treated.
She debunked myths that VVF is affected by teenage pregnancy and early motherhood, saying that all those that registered for the camp were above 30 years.
“This condition is not just in a situation where it is teenage pregnancy. It happens in a situation of the kind of healthcare that the expecting mother gets,” she said.
The Governor’s wife called on the government to improve the healthcare system, to enable the women get access to ante-natal care and skilled birth attendants.
“We are trying to see how the government will ensure that our healthcare centres are able to provide 24-hour care in each ward. This will go a long way in ensuring that women who are pregnant will have skilled birth attendants to attend to them.”
One of the Surgeons, Dr. Kabiru Abubakar, called on the government to employ more skilled doctors who can perform Caesarean operations and also improve infrastructures.
