In Nigeria, There Are 20 Fistula Surgeons to 120,000 Patients

A clinical Associate, Fistula Care Plus, Dr.Suleiman Zakariya has decried acute shortage of Fistula Surgeons in the country, lamenting that with a population of 170 million, Nigeria has only 20 fistula surgeons.

Speaking during a media round table discussion on Fistula intervention with the theme, "Service Availability; Access to service", in Sokoto, Zakariya expressed worry that the few number of fistula surgeons in the country does not match the over 120,000 Nigerians affected with the disorder every year.

He said that due to the acute shortage, only 5,000 out of a total of 12,000 new cases diagnosed each year are treated.

"Worldwide over two million women live with untreated obstetric fistula."

Advocating urgent intervention in fistula treatment, he said: "In Sub Sahara Africa, 1 in 16 women has the chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth while in developed countries, 1 in 4,000 is at risk.

"In Nigeria, it is estimated that between 120,000 and 150,000 are living with Fistula and about 12,000 new cases are diagnosed per year. The most vulnerable group is the young, poor illiterate and rural women who are economically disadvantaged." Noting that although, all doctors know about fistula, he explained that not all surgeons can repair fistula because it is a specialised area of surgery.

Explaining why Nigeria may continue to witness shortage of fistula experts, he said: "Fistula repair is a specialized area of surgery that does not attract financial gains as most of the surgeries are done free of charge. As a result, many of the doctors are abandoning it to specialized in other lucrative areas.

"Fistula experts are not recognised. The pressure of being a fistula surgeon will drive them alone. It is difficult to retain doctors in the system. There is no money because it is done free of charge. Salary does not increase. There is no recognition, retaining doctors in the system is a problem," he further explained.

He said Engender Health under the Fistula Care Plus has trained a pool of doctors and nurses to boost the available pool of doctors and nurses in Nigeria. Further stating that obstetric fistula is a manifestation of sub-optimal healthcare, Zakariya called for the upgrade of emergency obstetric care in the country to prevent obstetric fistula.

The Clinical Associate stressed the need to increase political commitment to health through creating budget line for fistula. "Government should increase and improve health infrastructure and promote gender equity and reduce violence against women.

Identifying family planning as a factor in the treatment and prevention of Fistula, he said: "We need to improve access to family planning, provide safe and quality caesarian section, client friendly affordable services in the various hospitals as well as apply the use of catheter and partograph to monitor labour.

SOURCE: Vangaurdngr

Mudslide death: ‘We fled from Boko Haram to Lagos’

An indigene of Borno State, who fled the Boko Haram insurgency to Lagos, has called on the Lagos State government to come to their aid.

Hassan Aji, who resides in the slum, popularly called Kurata in Agidingbi Ikeja, made the call on Tuesday after a mudslide killed one of the residents of the slum.

A 16-year-old teenager, Faisa, who like Aji is from Borno State and resides in the slum, had been killed by a mudslide on Tuesday after days of heavy rainfall.

Appealing to the state government for help, Aji said, “We are all from Borno State. We left our villages because of Boko Haram. We relocated here about two years ago. Our villages are deserted.

“As I speak with you, I don’t know where my mother is. I have two wives and seven children and if the government sends us away from here, I don’t know where to go.”

After arriving Lagos from Borno, one of the slum’s resident, Ibrahim Aliu said they paid N24,000 per year as rent to some men who claimed to be working for the Lagos State Government to reside there.

It was gathered that there were about 100 people saying in the slum, which is located on Dosumu Street, Off Amara Olu Road, Agidingbi.

Majority of them are believed to be indigenes of Borno State, who fled the Boko Haram insurgency to Lagos.

The General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Michael Akindele, said the slum was not habitable.

He said, “The area is a buffer zone which is not good for human settlement. The Lagos State Government has been sensitising people staying in flood-prone areas and wetland to vacate such areas to avert loss of lives especially, during this rainy season.”

SOURCE: PUNCHNG

Troops Arrest Wanted Boko Harm Food Seller In Yobe

A man suspected to be one of the food sellers to the dreaded extremist group Boko Haram and who has been on the Nigerian military wanted list number 105 has been arrested by a detachment of Army troops and local vigilantes in Azare community, Gujba local government area of Yobe state.

Muhammed Bulama described as a dangerous insurgent has been on the wanted list of the military for many months before his eventual arrest on Tuesday September 6, 2016. Arrested alongside Bulama were two other suspects named Ardo Abba Muhammed ( who claimed to be an elder brother to Bulama) and Muhammadu Kaigama.

The three suspects were arrested while riding on horseback and bicycle as they made their way to the market to sell some sheep for the extremist group.

According to the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, Bulama personally identified his photograph in the wanted list and confessed that he specialized in rearing animals for the terrorist group.

Usman said the three suspects also confessed they came to Azare community to sell the animals after the group ran out of cash in their camp and were also meant to procure some food items for the upcoming Sallah festivity.

Also on Tuesday, troops of the 4 Brigade Nigerian Army arrested a suspected national economy saboteur and alleged leader of the “Otugas Fire Force” militant group, Mr. Gabriel Ogbudje.

He was arrested with an accomplice named Elvis Dweller Ejus. The group had allegedly threatened to attack the Utorogu Gas Plant and is alleged to be responsible for the blowing of NPDC/Shoreline major delivery trunk line within Ogo-Oteri general area on the 26th of August 2016.

The suspected militant was arrested along Agbor-Abraka road, Edo State while he was trailed by the troops. He has been on the run since he was declared wanted because of his public declaration as the leader of the militant group “Otugas Fire Force”.

Ogbudje had made media headlines when he declared his operation code named “Crocodile Tears”, an metaphor to the Army’s ongoing military exercise nicknamed “Operation Crocodile Smile”.

Col Usman said both suspects have been handed over to Operation DELTA SAFE for further interrogation and subsequent handing over to the relevant security agency for prosecutions.

Also troops of 13 Brigade Nigerian Army in conjunction with Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Air Force and covert operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency, arrested a suspected kingpin of the Niger Delta Avengers, Isaac Romeo that goes by the appellation of “G2” in their terrorists camp.

He was arrested along with two other persons; Mr. Lawson Samson and an elderly man, Mr. Iyang Ekpo in Calabar, Cross State while driving in a vehicle with  registration number, CRS 86 AO1 on Saturday, 3rd September 2016.

The Army spokesman said the arrest followed painstaking efforts and tracking   of the militant who was in the state to perpetrate further criminal activities of sabotaging critical infrastructures.

SOURCE: Thenationonlineng