Spanish Doctors In Liberia for Fistula Patients

Four Spanish medical doctors are in the country to conduct surgeries on women suffering from fistula.

The medical trip of the Spanish, under auspices of the Spanish Woman for Africa Foundation Project dubbed:

“Stop Fistula”, will focus on a series of surgeries at the St. Joseph Catholic in Monrovia. The exercise is expected to last for two weeks, commencing Sunday, April 21, 2013 to May 5, 2013 at no cost.

According a press statement issued in Monrovia, the Spanish Women for Africa Foundation Project has created a ‘special unit’ at the Saint Joseph Catholic Hospital in Monrovia to conduct the surgeries on ‘obstetric fistula’ patients, and at the sometime, will assist high-risk births.

The four specialized doctors will be closely assisted by nurses at the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital for the conduct of the surgeries.

It is expected that the team will conduct over 30 surgeries within the given period, and that another team would be back in the country if there are more patients in subsequent time to carry out similar quest.

The Spanish Women for Africa Foundation “stop fistula” Project in Monrovia, will not only to operate on woman with fistula, but also assist first-time births of women up to 20 years of age where problems arise free of charge.

In Africa, there are over two million women suffering from obstetric fistula, a condition that occurs primarily as a result of births that are blocked and do not receive adequate attention.

According to the president of the foundation, Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, the foundation is the most significant project, in terms of health, and that they are here to work along with medical practitioners, as well as to accompany them on this journey.

“We could not ignore the fact that millions of women suffer from this condition, when in fact, some illnesses can be prevented simply with suitable maternal and child care”, she said.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Women for Africa Foundation will conduct series of workshops both practical and theoretical, while the second phase of the project is to train midwives, birth assistants and nurses to identify births at risk and refer them to a hospital.

The training will highlight the importance for women to know that fistula can be operated on, and that they can get their life back.