Media Is Strategic Partner In Fighting Fistula

The Ministry of Health in Malawi says media is a very important partner in fight against Obstetric Fistula.

Funny Kachale

Speaking on Thursday during a day long Media Orientation workshop on Obstetric Fistula, Director of Reproductive Health in the Ministry of Health, Funny Kachale underlined that the media is a very important partner in health and that training them on the topic was a right step in ensuring that media is spreading to the public accurate information about Fistula.

Kachale: Media is important partner 

"Fistula is a big problem for us here in Malawi. And knowing that Media is our partner in implementing health services, we know that they are able to reach out to the communities with various forms of messages.

"So, we know that once we give them right information through this orientation workshop, they will be able to assist us in creating awareness so that women and men hear the messages and know available services and those with condition should be able to come to the hospitals to get repaired."

Grace Hiwa with a female pelvis model, demonstrating how Obstetric Fistula occurs 

She also explained that Government has put in place number of strategies to end the problem.

Kachale mentioned number of strategies; encouraging women to attend antenatal care at an early stage, encouraging nurses to monitor progress of labour, discourage women from delivering at Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA), as ways government is using to preventing women from developing Obstetric Fistula

Hiwa explaining how Fistula develops

Kachale further explains that Government is also carrying out number of efforts to assist women who have fistula "We are training health workers cadre of Clinical Officers to repair Fistula and operating fistula through Obstetric Camps that we do twice a year."  

She therefore encouraged the media practitioners to prop up efforts in ending Obstetric Fistula in the country by informing the public the availability of services which repair women with the condition available in all hospitals and at Bwaila Fistula centre

Dorothy Nyasulu: UNDP consider media as strategic partner 

Dorothy Nyasulu-Assistant Representative at UNFPA said UNFPA consider media as a very strategic partner in access to information on sexual reproductive health which includes Obstetric Fistula.

She noted that many people in the country rely on media to access to correct and adequate information. She therefore said it was necessary to train the media on Fistula as a way of addressing the problem

"From this training, we want a correct information on Obstetric Fistula to continuously go out to the public." She said

Obstetric Fistula is one of the most serious and tragic childbirth injuries leading to a hole between the birth canal and bladder or rectum caused by prolonged (over six hours), obstructed labour. It leaves women leaking urine and faeces and often leads to  depression and social isolation due to smell that comes with the condition.

The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Health with support from UNFPA, Freedom from Fistula Foundation of Bwaila Centre and AMREF health Africa.