Nigeria records 40per cent of world fistula cases ― UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has called on the government of Nigeria at all levels to join hands with the world body and tackle the menace of Fistula among Nigerian women.

Dr Omolaso Omosehin, Head, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), who said this, revealed that the nation is burdened with Fistula challenges among women, with a global record of 40per cent cases in Nigeria alone.

He said the UNFPA has successfully supported the repair of 12,560 cases and 5000 cases were resettled with the women in gainful establishments.

He said there was a need for partnership with the Nigerian government, to tackle the menace and drop the cases in the country.

The UN head of the population fund said this, at the 3rd day of the week-long, 21st National Council on Women Affairs at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State monitored on zoom by our correspondent.

Omosehin argued that Fistula came about from the common knowledge of prolonged labour, due to early marriage by underage girls, sexual violence, harmful traditional practice, unskilled birth attendance etc, all of which required political will from the government at all levels to halt the health challenge.

The head of the population fund said, although the UNFPA has a robust Fistula project in Nigeria, a lot, still need to be done, which emphasised the need for government direct attention on the problem of reducing the efficiency of women in the society.

He noted that because of the rising cases of fistula in the country, the UNFPA has established a programme of repair which attended to 3000 cases annually in Nigeria.

He said the challenges faced in reducing Fistula cases in Nigeria remained that of poor political will, to implement the Child Rights Act, absence of a national database on the cases, across the country and weak health care systems among others.

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