Provider Perspectives

The Fistula Care project works with dedicated surgical teams around the world who care for women with fistula. This page collects some of their stories about the work they do and the women they serve.

		Dr. Frank Asiimwe is a general surgeon and trainer for fistula surgery. His unassuming manner and tenacity of purpose undoubtedly lend confidence to the obstetric fistula patients he treats in Uganda. He has performed more than 500 surgeries throughout his career.
		Even though he has assisted with more than 1,000 obstetric fistula repairs, as a young medical student Dr. Abubakar Bello resisted being on call during a woman’s childbirth.
		Prof. Azim is a leader in fistula prevention and treatment in Bangladesh.
		Dr. Alyona Lewis is the only national fistula surgeon providing routine obstetric fistula repairs in all of Sierra Leone. Based at the Aberdeen Women's Centre in Freetown, Dr. Lewis and her team transform the lives of hundreds of women each year.

Mulu Atesbaha, although not a medical doctor, is learning surgical skills to transform the lives of women with fistula. Task shifting to nonphysicians for fistula repairs is not typical, however Mulu's skills and dedication prove that with the right background, non-surgeons may be able to assist with fistula repair surgeries.

Dr. Sunday Adeoye is a fistula surgeon in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, where the Fistula Care Project has recently expanded. He is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in women's lives and see their dignity restored.

Dr. Steve Arrowsmith has been a fistula surgeon ever since is first visit to Africa in 1988. He explains that it is the courageous and strong women who inspire him to continue his work, and is committed to training other fistula surgeons to understand the philosophy and care that fistula repair work requires.

Dr. Saad Idris got his start in fistula surgery when a grassroots women’s organization successfully advocated for doctors to be sent for training in fistula repair. Dr. Saad recently was named Commissioner of Health for the State of Zamfara in Nigeria. He is committed to continuing to carve out time to provide fistula repair surgery.

Dr. Ladan-Ibrahim Hassan discovered a mentally unstable woman with fistula living in his office when he first came to Kebbi Hospital in Nigeria. She is just one of the many women who he has repaired in over twenty years of providing fistula surgery.

Halima made an extraordinary journey from fistula survivor to midwife in Darfur, Sudan.

Dr. Maura Lynch is a dedicated fistula surgeon working at Kitovu Hospital in Uganda, a site that is supported by the Fistula Care Project. See here for USAID's March 2009 health spotlight that celebrates Dr. Lynch as a woman who makes a difference.

Dr. Joseph Ruminjo is the Clinical Director for the Fistula Care Project.  See here for an interview he gave in November 2006 about his experiences caring for traumatic fistula survivors.

Listen to our colleagues from Uganda giving their perspectives on the work that they do and the women they serve:

To select a video, place your mouse over the video, and a row of video icons will appear. Move right or left to scroll through the videos in this set, or use the right/left arrows to jump to another set of videos. Then click on the video image to begin playing it. There are 6 videos altogether.