Posted on: Tue 21-05-2024

For the sake of enriching the less informed, Abuja was conceived by those who became disenchanted with the rowdy ecosystem of Lagos, the then capital city of Nigeria. These visionary leaders in their wisdom, decisively sought a more central location that will be safer and more conducive for government institutions and those who work in them.

After frantic search for a suitable location for the desired new Federal Capital Territory, they finally settled for Abuja. According to findings, Lagos to Abuja is over 700 kilometers and about 13 hours drive by land transportation. Abuja became the Federal Capital City of Nigeria on December 12th, 1991 by the proclamation made by General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), the then President and head of the military government of Nigeria.

Healthcare facilities

From 1991 till 2024, Abuja has witnessed rapid growth in population due to the influx of people from different regions of the country. In the same vein, the health sector has grown in leaps and bounds as there are several public and private health facilities catering for the health needs of the population.

However, there had been no known health centre dedicated to the treatment of patients with special needs such as women and young girls battling with Vesico Vaginal Fistula ( VVF) in Abuja. VVF is “ an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina, resulting in continuous and unremitting urinary incontinence. It is also one of the most distressing complications of gynecologic and obstetric procedures.”

Inside Abuja could not find a justifying answer to the question about what happened to vvf patients from the year 1991 till date. It is logical enough to give attention to questions like, has no woman or girl suffered a VVF condition before now? Another question that begs for answers is, Abuja, technically being part of the northern region, where child marriage is rampant, has there not been a victim of VVF before now?

Another concern which residents raised was, if there had been such cases, how were they handled, bearing in mind that no hospital within Abuja had a special center for VVF patients. A midwife in one of the hospitals in Abuja, who demanded anonymity, said that there have been many cases of VVF in Abuja hospitals. The middle aged woman, noted that most times, the VVF patients she encountered were under aged girls, who probably were forced into early marriage by their ignorant parents.

According to her, such patients required special care as not every physician can handle such cases. “These types of patient require special cares and medication, but because we don’t have such expertise and dedicated staff for such condition, we referred them to Kaduna and other places. “Before now, there was no special centre in Abuja for VVF patients. Sometimes, we referred patients to the Specialist hospital, Gwagwalada,which has become University of Abuja Teaching Hospital,”she said.

Unveiling the VVF centre

Inside Abuja learnt that the humanitarian organisation, ActionAid Nigeria ( AAN), was concerned that for these years Abuja had no special centre to cater for the health need of women and girls who have suffered a lot due to VVF associated problems.

It was gathered that the rising cases of VVF in Abuja had become so alarming that several stakeholders commenced processes for the establishment of a specialist centre. It was one of such stakeholders’ efforts that birthed the 20-bed Vesico Vaginal Fistula ( VVF) Centre in Gwarinpa General Hospital, Abuja.

The project was said to had gulped about N51.5million.. The VVF Centre which is reputed to be the first of its kind in the FCT was designed to address medical complications among women and girls, reportedly due to rising cases of the girl-child getting married too early and ending up with the condition. The Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria ( AAN ), Andrew Mamedu, at the launch, disclosed that the need to salvage over two (2) million women living with severe VVF was the motivating factor behind the organisation’s establishment of the centre.

He noted that more worrisome was the report that 50, 000 new cases of VVF were emerging annually, and unfortunately, only 3,000 of such cases get the deserved attention and medical care. According to him, the fact that Nigeria ranks third globally in child marriage rates, bears witness to consequences such as disrupted education, increased vulnerability to violence, and missed opportunities for personal fulfillment.

He said despite this staggering burden, access to comprehensive VVF services remained inadequate stating that with only 18 government approved VVF centers nationwide and none in the FCT until now, countless women have suffered in silence, their agony exacerbated by prolonged waits and inadequate care.

Ministry of health’s acknowledgement

Even the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, acknowledged that Abuja’s first VVF Centre was a great milestone in the fight against the growing threat.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Mohammed Ali Pate, who was represented at the unveiling ceremony, by the Director/Head Reproductive Health Division of the Ministry, Lawrence Anyanwu said the establishment of the VVF was a huge milestone in the fight against morbidity in women and girls in Nigeria.

He disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has over the years been implementing policies aimed at reducing the cases of VVF and also in rehabilitation of the patients wherever they may be in the country.

The centre’s management view

It was also discovered that before now, patients of VVF in Abuja were being subjected to the rigour of moving several miles away from their place of residence to search for solutions. It was further discovered that despite the rising cases of VVF across the country, the Abuja centre is the twentieth one, with many gaps yet to be filled.

The Medical Director of Gwarinpa General Hospital, Moriamo Shaibu lamented that over eighty per cent (80%) of the cases being handled in Abuja, where patients who didn’t know where to access care, and referral had previously being given to them to Jos, Bauchi, Katsina and other centres. She equally disclosed that the newly inaugurated VVF centre has brought the total numbers of such centres to 20 in Nigeria.

SOURCE: NEW TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER

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