Fistula Care In The News

EngenderHealth Staff in Uganda Promote Partograph Use
Global Health, June 29, 2011
In a recent article on the Global Health blog, Program Associate Joslyn Meier and Senior Medical Associate Dr. Peter Mukasa write about the partograph, a decision-guiding tool that can prevent maternal deaths and injuries.

EngenderHealth’s Isaiah Ndong Blogs about Obstetric Fistula
Global Health, March 3, 2011
Vice President of Programs Isaiah Ndong reflected in a Global Health blog post on the need to strengthen health systems to prevent and treat fistula.

Transforming Women’s Lives: Synergies for Success in Treating Obstetric Fistula
RH Reality Check, March 4, 2011
A blog entry by Karen Beattie, director of the Fistula Care Project, about the multiple players involved in fistula prevention and care: medical staff, program managers, writers, advocates, community groups, politicians and donners.

Pursuing a Standard of Care for Training New Fistula Surgeons
RH Reality Check, March 4, 2011
Professor Hamid Rushwan, Chief Executive of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Dr. Joseph Ruminjo, Fistula Care Clinical Director, discuss a new curriculum for training surgeons in fistula care and the need for standardized surgical training for fistula surgeons.

A 'Community Engagement' Approach to Treating Fistula in Guinea
RH Reality Check, March 4, 2011
Moustapha Diallo, Guinea Program Manager, writes about community approaches to fistula programming.

“It’s the Work of the Heart:” Repairing Bodies, Restoring Spirits in Congo (PDF, 1.1 MB)
Connect, January 2011
EngenderHealth Update featured a front-page article about Fistula Care’s work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The piece describes the stigmatization that women with fistula endure and details the work of two sites in eastern Congo—the HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma, and Panzi Hospital in Bukavu. 

Readers' Comments: The World Capital of Killing
New York Times, February 6, 2010
Senior Program Associate Bethany Cole comments on Nicholas Kristof's article on eastern Congo and Panzi Hospital. Ms. Cole explains how EngenderHealth and Fistula Care support Panzi Hospital and HEAL Africa and the importance of prevention as a part of Fistula Care.

VVF: Fighting the Debilitating Condition
This Day Online, December 27, 2009
Senior Program Associate Carrie Ngongo’s visit to Nigeria with former EngenderHealth President Ana Langer and Board Chair Brenda Drake was covered in several Nigerian news publications. This article explains the causes and consequences of obstetric fistula in more detail, and quotes Ms. Langer and Mr. Iyeme Efem, Nigeria Country Program Manager,  to express the importance of addressing VVF.

Medical Experts Meet to Address Obstetric Fistula
The New Times, December 8, 2009
Fistula Care’s Family Planning Integration Meeting in Rwanda is featured in this article, which gives an overview of obstetric fistula and the situation in Rwanda.

Reader's Comments: A Heroic Doctor, a Global Scourge
The New York Times Blogs, October 31, 2009
Joseph Ruminjo and Karen Beattie both had comments published to Nicholas Kristof's blog entry. Ms. Beattie's comment brought reader's attentions to the work of the Fistula Care Project and the importance of prevention. Dr. Ruminjo argues for the importance of integrated health care and strengthening national health care systems and strategies in order to eradicate fistula.

Nicholas Kristof's "Half the Sky" Contest
New York Times, October 2, 2009
Carrie Ngongo, Senior Program Associate, won an honorable mention for Nicholas Kristof’s “Half the Sky” Contest in The New York Times, in which readers were asked to contribute personal stories about their work with women’s issues worldwide. Ms. Ngongo reflected on her own experience as a first-time mother in contrast with the reality faced by fistula survivors in Niger.

Mothers of Ethiopia Part III: Battling Pregnancy Complications
Huffington Post, October 1, 2009
Karen Beattie sheds light on the physical and social causes and consequences of obstetric fistula to help tell the story of a fistula survivor at the USAID-supported Mekelle branch of the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia.

Helping Women: Eliminating Obstetric Fistula Worldwide
Huffington Post, July 28, 2009
EngenderHealth President Ana Langer is quoted throughout the article describing the work of EngenderHealth and the need for fistula prevention and repairs.

A Preventable Trauma
New York Times, March 2, 2009
A letter to the editor of the New York Times by Fistula Care Project director Karen Beattie in response to a Science Times article describing AMREF’s work on fistula in Tanzania. Her letter emphasizes the critical importance of prevention.