Lira hosts Fistula Awareness Day with call to tackle teenage pregnancies

LIRA - Lira City on Saturday, May 31, hosted the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, with stakeholders urged to intensify efforts against teenage pregnancies and child marriages, both of which are the leading causes of the condition among women.

The event, which began with a march through the city’s major streets, concluded at the Mayor’s Garden and attracted professional medical associations of gynaecologists and midwives, officials from the health ministry, development partners, local leaders and community members.

This year’s theme was “Her Health, Her Right: Shaping a Future Without Fistula.”

Lira city deputy town clerk, Lillian Ocare, said public education on maternal health, particularly targeting men and school-going girls, was vital in raising awareness about early marriage and teenage pregnancy, both of which contribute to obstetric fistula.

Dr Odur, director of Lira Regional Referral Hospital, described the condition as “devastating” and stressed the need to train more specialists in fistula repair, given the country’s current treatment gap.

He said the hospital, a one-stop centre for health services in the Lango sub-region, has been identified as one of Uganda’s uro-gynaecology fellowship training centres. It will train gynaecologists and specialised nurses to support communities in addressing the disease.

Patrick Oryema, fistula programme coordinator at Amref Health Africa in Uganda—one of the government’s partners in the fight against the disease, particularly in the West Nile region—said its prevalence has reduced significantly in the last decade thanks to multi-partner interventions.

According to Oryema, the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey shows a 75% reduction in prevalence.

However, he pointed out challenges including the limited number of trained surgeons and called on the government to train more, especially to replace those retiring. He also cited limited funding for interventions in hard-to-reach areas as another obstacle to progress.

The Director General of Health Services, Dr Charles Olaro, noted that teenage pregnancies account for up to 6% of all maternal deaths, with survivors often developing obstetric fistula.

He said Uganda has an estimated burden of over 200,000 fistula cases, with about 1,900 new cases annually—roughly equal to the number treated each year—suggesting the burden is not declining.

Dr Olaro said it is important for pregnancies to be planned and deliveries to occur in health facilities under proper care. He urged regular antenatal visits and emphasised the importance of safe delivery practices.

He also appealed to society to keep girls in school to prevent early pregnancies. “If they do get pregnant, they should be supported to seek care in health facilities,” he said.

The government, Dr Olaro added, is working to address three key delays: delays in seeking care, delays in reaching facilities, and delays in receiving treatment upon arrival.

“We also want to work with cultural and religious leaders so that we should not be able to promote practices like child marriages because those are the things which lead to teenage pregnancies,” he noted, adding that over 33 health units are now offering vaginal fistula repair and are encouraging patients to come forward for treatment to restore their dignity and self-esteem.

In a written message delivered by Dr Olaro, health minister Dr Jane Aceng urged all stakeholders, development partners and individuals to work closely with the ministry to ensure that no woman suffers from the disease and that those who do receive the compassionate and holistic support they deserve.

“Let us transform our commitment into a tangible action, ensuring that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every woman and girl can live a life of dignity free from the burden of obstetric fistula,” Dr Aceng said.