……..As Government, Development Partners Deepen Healthcare Collaboration.
Emmanuel Clement.
No fewer than 18 women and girls suffering from obstetric fistula have regained hope and dignity after receiving free corrective surgeries at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, through a collaborative healthcare intervention by the Kogi State Government and its development partners.
The medical outreach, organised by the Sustainable Family Healthcare Foundation and the Fistula Foundation in collaboration with the Kogi State Ministry of Health, provided life-changing treatment for women living with different forms of obstetric fistula, a debilitating childbirth-related condition that often leaves victims with severe physical and emotional challenges.
Speaking on the exercise, the Chief Medical Director of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Dr. Oluseyi Bamidele Folagbade, described the programme as a life-transforming intervention for women who had endured the condition for several years.
According to him, obstetric fistula, including Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF), is a childbirth injury that creates an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina or between the rectum and the vagina.
He explained that the condition is commonly caused by prolonged obstructed labour, complications arising from unsafe Caesarean sections, or certain congenital defects.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abdulazeez Adams, described the free surgical programme as timely, especially for indigent women who could not afford the cost of treatment.
He assured residents of Kogi State and neighbouring states that the intervention would continue as part of the government’s commitment to expanding access to quality healthcare services.
Adams also commended Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for providing an enabling environment that continues to attract development partners and skilled medical professionals to improve healthcare delivery across the state.
Also speaking, the State Focal Person of the Sustainable Family Healthcare Foundation and Fistula Foundation, Comrade Francis Eneojo Obaje, expressed appreciation to the Kogi State Government, the partner organisations, and the surgical team led by Dr. Idris Saad and Dr. (Mrs.) Halima Bello, alongside other doctors and nurses, for the successful execution of the exercise.
He urged women living with obstetric fistula to seek prompt medical attention at recognised healthcare facilities instead of relying on traditional remedies, stressing that the condition is treatable through appropriate medical care.
Some beneficiaries, including Janet Alexander and Victoria Bunde, expressed profound gratitude to the organisers and sponsors, saying the free surgeries had restored their health, confidence, and hope for a brighter future.
The second phase of the free obstetric fistula repair programme was conducted from June 15 to June 18, 2026, at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, reaffirming the commitment of the Kogi State Government and its partners to improving maternal healthcare and restoring dignity to vulnerable women.