Medical advancements: ‘Bladder and pelvic dysfunction cause fistulas’

200 doctors participated in a workshop to address vesicovaginal fistulas

KARACHI: A three-day workshop on the medical and social complications of vesicovaginal fistulas (VVF) among the female population of developing countries, including Pakistan, concluded at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) on Sunday.

The highlight of the workshop was the participation of three eminent African uro-gynaecologists who shared their professional experience with their Pakistani counterparts. The experts included Sohier Elneil, a doctor of African descent representing the University College London, Professor Serigne Magueye from Senegal and Professor Oladosu Ojengbede from Nigeria. All three experts specialised in the field of obstetric fistulas, bladder cancer and urinary tract disorder.

Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi of SIUT, Dr Tariq Tassadaq from Saudi Arabia and Prof Manzoor Hussain of SIUT, while participating in the discussion, stressed the need to focus on bladder and pelvic dysfunction, which causes the fistula disorder and later requires surgical repair.

Prof Rizvi said the workshop is part of SIUT's philosophy to update medical knowledge besides providing free quality treatment to every person without discrimination.

More than 200 gynaecologists and urologists from all over the country participated in the workshop, where they learned new techniques to address the problem. Experts in the fields of urology and gynaecology reviewed the prevalence of the problems in different parts of the world and noted that patients with genital tract fistulas usually face difficult social and personal problems.

The medical experts said the epidemiological statistics of the World Health Organization indicate that 130,000 new cases of maternal mortality were reported in 2004, while 3.5 million people are suffering from the problem at a global level.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th,  2015.