The Reproductive and Child Health Programme Unit (RCH) of the department of state for Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with UNFPA and World Health Organisation over the weekend, conducted a two-day sensitisation meeting for media practitioners on obstetric fistula at the School of Nursing in Banjul.

Obstetric fistula is an injury of child bearing that has been relatively neglected despite the devastating impact it has on the lives of girls and women. It is usually caused by several days of obstructed labour without timely medical information. The consequences of fistula are life shattering, and the baby usually dies and the woman will suffer. Because of her inability to control her flow of urine, she is often abandoned or neglected by her husband and family and ostracized by her community without treatment.  

The sensitization came following a survey conducted by RCH which disclosed the prevelance of obstetric fistula among Gambian women and was aimed at educating media personnel on this maternal mobility so as to become key agents in the fistula campaign in The Gambia. Speaking at programme, Mrs Ramou Cole Ceesay, the head of the RCH programme unit said this important activity jointly conducted by UNFPA and WHO, is to enable media practitioners to understand the definition of obstetric fistula and transform this scientific terminology into a layman language since they are crucial in information dessimination. She spoke at length about fistula and the challenges women face which lead to labour complications.

Mrs Cole Ceesay added that fistula is a global concern which The Gambia is part of and can be prevented noting that the media is part of that prevention. Famara Fatty, senior RCH programme officer informed participants that the objectives of the sensitisation were to enlighten media practitioners about obsteritic fistula since it is a condition affecting the lives of our women and the burden affects the family and community as well as to understand the situation of obstetric fistula in The Gambia.  

He said there are many prevailing conditions affecting the lives of women and children but quickly mentioned  obstetric fistula  as a concern. The president of the Gambia Health Journalists Association, Pa Modou Fall, underscored the importance of journalists in the fight against the stigmatisation and discrimination against fistula.

He called on journalists to transformed the knowledge into action and practice and sensitise the people particularly in the local languages on the part of community radios.