Constantly in pain, incontinent of urine and feces, bearing a heavy burden of sadness in discovering their child stillborn, ashamed of a rank personal offensiveness, abandoned therefore by their husbands, outcasts of society, they live, they exist, without friends and without hope.
– Reginald Hamlin & Catherine Nicholson, 1966

Nearly half a century later, that scenario of obstetric fistula continues to haunt the humanity and has been aptly termed ‘the scandal of the century’.

Between 2 and 3 million women, mostly in Africa, are in need of surgical repair with about 130,000 new patients being added annually.

This colossal embarrassment of our male dominated society will not be solved unless we address the root causes of lack of empowerment. In these societies, a woman’s low socioeconomic status and illiteracy often lead to child marriage followed by early pregnancy. The lack of obstetric care causes obstructed labor and ultimately complex injuries to vagina, bladder and rectum. In the worst case maternal death – which needlessly claims one woman a minute.

Unfortunately our developed world with its economic clout is not willing to come up with any significant help to emancipate the young women of the developing world with education and empowerment, nor with help in providing effective systems of maternal health care. Thus safe motherhood has largely become an orphan initiative.

Historically however we owe it to the African women for our knowledge and surgical technical developments in repairing these injuries. These surgeries were mostly initiated in the US through painful and degrading experiments on the enslaved women in the antebellum south in the 19th century. Those slaves from Africa sacrificed their dignity in muted agony without consent to the extremely painful experiments enforced upon them without anesthesia by racist white physicians and slave owners.

And now after centuries, our complacency in extending any helping hand to the African women is unacceptable and disgraceful.

Watch a webcast of my presentation Vesico-vaginal Fistula Management: A Tribute to Anarcha, Betsy, Lucy and the Hamlins at the 4th International Congress on the History of Urology.

– Sakti Das, 2009.

  • Comment & Share! Use the links to leave your comments/thoughts and share this with others. You can also contact me using the ‘Contact’ links.

MORE INFO & RESOURCES…

A Walk to Beautiful” – Emmy Award winning feature-length documentary tells the stories of five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and embark on a journey to reclaim their lost dignity. Rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, these women are left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame. They make the choice to take the long and arduous journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in search of a cure and a new life. [PBS/Nova]

LINKS

26 thoughts on “My Painful Musings on the Suffering of the African Woman from Obstetric Fistula

  1. Аренда инструмента предоставляет множество преимуществ, особенно для тех, кто редко использует специализированные инструменты или не хочет тратить деньги на их покупку. Вот несколько преимуществ аренды инструмента

    прокат аренда без залога https://prokat888.ru/.

  2. Прокат инструмента становится все более популярным вариантом для многих людей и компаний, которые нуждаются в использовании инструментов в течение определенного времени. Вместо покупки дорогостоящего инструмента, многие предпочитают арендовать его на необходимый срок. В этой статье мы рассмотрим несколько преимуществ проката инструмента.

    аренда строительного электроинструментаэлектроинструмента https://www.prokat888.ru.

  3. Арендовать инструмента в Освоиться с инструментом без излишних затрат доступны новейшие модели Лучшее решение для Надежный инструмент выгодно в нашем сервисе
    Аренда инструмента для задач
    Экономьте деньги на покупке инструмента с нашими услугами проката
    Правильное решение для У вашей компании нет инструмента? Не проблема, в нашу компанию за инструментом!
    Освойте новые умения с качественным инструментом из нашего сервиса
    Арендовать инструмента для строительных работ
    Не расходуйте деньги на покупку инструмента, а Надежный инструмент для любых задач в наличии
    Разнообразие инструмента для выполнения различных работ
    Профессиональная помощь в выборе нужного инструмента от специалистов нашей компании
    Сэкономьте с услугами Арендовать инструмента для строительства дома или квартиры
    Наша команда – профессиональный партнер в аренде инструмента
    Профессиональный инструмент для ремонтных работ – в нашем прокате инструмента
    Сомневаетесь в правильности выбора? Мы поможем с советом инструмента в нашем сервисе.
    прокат инструмента прокат инструмента в перми.

  4. Lorsque vous avez des doutes sur les activités de vos enfants ou sur la sécurité de leurs parents, vous pouvez pirater leurs téléphones Android à partir de votre ordinateur ou appareil mobile pour assurer leur sécurité. Personne ne peut surveiller 24 heures sur 24, mais il existe un logiciel d’espionnage professionnel qui peut secrètement surveiller les activités des téléphones Android sans les en informer.

  5. Pingback: bola 808
  6. Pingback: แทงบอล
  7. what is priligy According to the most recent American Thyroid Association ATA guidelines, the recommended initial dose is 200 to 400 mcg IV once lower dose for elderly, or underlying cardiac disease or arrhythmia with some reports up to 500 mcg

  8. volvulus adults also harbor Wolbachia endosymbionts buy augmentin online ireland alesse ciprofloxacino nombres comerciales The lawsuit also alleges that the California Public Employees Retirement System Calpers and the California State Teachers Retirement System Calstrs lost nearly 600 million after investing in those securities by partly relying on S P s ratings

  9. Grasp the shape using decrease weights or use one of many above variations before going too
    heavy to get essentially the most out of the exercise and avoid injury.
    Hit your inner pecs with out cable crossovers – no cable
    machine? Work your inside pecs with close grip dumbbell presses to improve the depth
    and shape of your chest. The close grip bench press may be done in quite a
    lot of methods to fit your capacity degree. Please
    note that, for safety’s sake, a spotter or smith machine is always instructed.

    Both workout routines supply a extensive range of variations and progressions to challenge yourself and hold your exercises fascinating.

    Regardless of which exercise you select, proper form is essential
    for maximizing outcomes and minimizing the risk of injury.

    After all, success leaves clues, and tens of millions of lifters have
    built impressive muscle dimension and strength with
    these two moves. However, regardless of this, most people need more variety of their workouts.

    When it involves building greater pecs or increasing upper physique energy, most people’s go-to exercise is
    the bench press. It’s a popular train with bodybuilders and powerlifters and is even a half of the NFL mix.
    Monday is laughingly often known as National Bench Press Day,
    and a lot of exercisers like to start out their training week with this traditional
    barbell transfer. A closer grip can ease the discomfort many lifters
    really feel in their shoulders when utilizing conventional presses.
    A narrower grip not solely reduces strain on the shoulder but additionally permits lifters to
    bench a heavier load.
    The push press is a superb train focusing on the triceps & shoulders.
    Like the close-grip bench press, the push press depends closely on triceps lockout
    strength. This train can also be used to stress the triceps
    to strengthen elbow extension and lock performance.

    Weighted dips are a compound motion focusing on the triceps, chest, and shoulders.
    The train entails reducing the body whereas supporting weight on parallel bars before
    pushing again to the beginning place. The triceps are extremely engaged as
    the elbows prolong, significantly in the lockout part.

    Triceps development is essential for both energy and aesthetics.

    Two of the preferred workout routines for building greater and
    stronger triceps are weighted dips and the close-grip bench press.
    To maximize its strength and muscle-building potential, don’t bounce the bar off your chest for momentum.

    Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine, is a Coaching Editor with 30 years of experience in Private Coaching and Strength &
    Conditioning. A former British Royal Marine, gym proprietor, and fitness qualifications
    assessor, he is dedicated to delivering informative, dependable content.
    In addition, Patrick is an experienced writer who has authored three health and train books, dozens of e-books,
    thousands of articles, and a number of other health movies.

    He’s not just an armchair health skilled; Patrick practices what he preaches!
    He has competed at a excessive degree in numerous
    sports activities, together with rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most just lately, stand up paddleboarding.

    When not lecturing, coaching, researching, or writing,
    Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate
    of Cyprus, the place he has lived for the last 20-years.
    1– Sit on the tip of an exercise bench with a dumbbell in each hand.

    Lie down on the bench along with your feet firmly planted on the ground.
    Your eyes should be roughly consistent with the barbell when it’s above your higher chest.

    Keep your shoulder blades pinched together and
    preserve a slight arch in your lower back. This body position will present a secure base so that you just can perform the exercise effectively.
    Every person’s body sort, anatomy, physique levers, and muscle
    bellies and insertions differ. Some lifters naturally bench wider, some nearer, and a few even choose reverse
    grip presses. Some individuals could naturally gravitate toward dumbbells,
    while others will decide the barbell because it really works higher for their our bodies.

    It can also be a great option for people with shoulder problems, as it could help cut
    back stress on the shoulders. Nevertheless, it is necessary to
    observe that the close grip bench press doesn’t work the
    chest as much because the regular bench press. So, if you’re trying to
    build a giant chest, you should also include regular bench presses in your routine.
    The shut grip dumbbell press, also referred to as the crush press, is a chest and triceps-focused train.

    References:

    Real Anabolic Steroids Online

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *