Astellas today
announces that, just over a year on from the launch of Action on Fistula,
582 Kenyan women with obstetric fistula have successfully been treated with
life changing reconstructive surgery. One woman treated had waited 51 years for
surgery, and the age range of individuals helped so far spans from seven to 90
years old.
Action on Fistula is led by the charity Fistula Foundation and funded by
Astellas Pharma EMEA. By mid‐2017, the initiative aims to transform the lives of more
than 1,200 women in Kenya living with this condition and to build capacity in
the country to deliver on‐going surgeries in the long term.
Ken Jones, President & CEO of Astellas Pharma EMEA,
said, “Fistula is a condition that devastates the lives of women. In addition
to the physical impact of incontinence, it leaves many women ostracised from
their families and communities. Action on Fistula has been created to
reach and treat women suffering the consequences of this condition.
“We know that one of the key obstacles to treating women
in Kenya is the lack of appropriately trained surgeons. Action on Fistula is
addressing this need by increasing the capacity for fistula surgery in Kenya
and we are delighted that over 550 women have already been treated.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with the
Fistula Foundation so that many more women can receive this life changing
treatment in the future.”
Access to services for women suffering from obstetric
fistula is being extended through a new national Fistula Treatment Network,
with four treatment centres already enrolled and providing fistula surgeries.
Gynocare Fistula
Centre, in Eldoret, is the first treatment unit in Kenya to be accredited by
the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the first
two surgeons supported by Action on Fistula have begun training to
become experts in fistula treatment.
In order to ensure that women living with fistula in
rural communities can be helped, Action on Fistula is running a major
outreach programme, with community workers being trained to identify and
encourage patients to access treatment. Five local organisations have trained
136 community health workers, conducted 850 outreach activities and reached
60,000 community members in 18 counties.
Kate Grant, CEO, Fistula Foundation, comments, “Together
with Astellas Pharma EMEA, we are already transforming lives in Kenya. Women
are receiving life changing care faster than they would have otherwise, medical
facilities are better equipped to help treat more women, and our outreach
partners are expanding their reach into more rural, remote parts of the
country, where they are identifying and referring new patients for treatment.
“In addition, because of the programme, dedicated
surgeons in Kenya now have access to advanced training provided in partnership
with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.”
An obstetric fistula is a hole between the vagina and
rectum or bladder that is caused by prolonged obstructed labour when emergency
care is unavailable, causing either faecal or urinary incontinence or both
conditions. Whilst virtually eradicated in developed countries, the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates 3,000 new cases of obstetric fistula
occur annually in Kenya, with approximately one to two fistulas for every 1,000
deliveries.
Obstetric fistula sufferers are too often subject to
severe social stigma due to odour, which is constant and humiliating, often
driving the patients' family, friends and neighbours away. Stigmatised, these
women are also often denied access to education and employment and left to live
lives of isolation and poverty. Untreated, fistula can lead to chronic medical
problems including ulcerations and kidney disease.
Alongside funding this programme, Astellas is actively
encouraging and enabling employees to fundraise to support fistula treatment
and welcomes other interested parties to contact the Fistula Foundation. For
every €350 raised, an additional woman can receive life changing surgery.
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