FDSA and OWIT joined forces to set up a Movie Night to raise funds to help fight Fistula in Kenya. This is done by funding a Medical Outreach programme that identifies gaps in health care systems and develops methods and intervention to support hospitals through pre-planned visits by specialists, who provide expert advice, services and training of professional health workers. Of particular interest to FDSA and OWIT is the area of Obstetric Fistula.

To help raise funds toward this cause, FDSA and OWIT held a Movie Night on 30th November 2012. This is the second event that FDSA and OWIT have put together in the past. Although there were weather and transport issues on the day of the showing, the event managed to collect a net contributed income of KShs. 454,350.

FDSA would like to thank all the individuals who bought tickets or attended the movie. FDSA would also like to thank our sponsors; OWIT, Consolidated Bank, Citi Bank, Genesis Investments and the Awendo Foundation for their support. A big thank you to our members as well who, through their membership, contribute greatly towards the Outreach Program as well. 

We have travel cover plans that meet the specific needs of travelers within East Africa. The four membership package groups we have are:
• Annual (East Africa) – which covers the whole of East Africa and this includes Rwanda and Burundi for twelve months
• Short stay (East Africa) – which covers the whole of East Africa including Rwanda and Burundi for up to to months
• Short stay (Kenya and Northern Tanzania) – this covers a radius of 500KM from Nairobi for up to two months
• Annual (Kenya and Northern Tanzania) – this covers a radius of 500KM from Nairobi for twelve months

We are not biased and so membership to the Flying Doctors Society is open to every individual regardless, especially those traveling and living within East Africa. It doesn’t matter what reason there is behind your travels, because FDSA will always be at your rescue whenever you need them. You could be on a business trip, leisure or on safari just to mention a few.

As much as no one is comfortable with the idea of them falling sick or getting involved in some kind of accident while traveling, still this is something each one of us should plan for, and this is for our own sake and that of our loved ones as well. Therefore, a travel cover is something worth considering as you never know what might happen to you while doing your travels.

The VVF patient turnout was huge with 400 women being screened and 102 repaired. KNH’s fully designated Clinic 66 for VVF screening and surgery on routine bases and the theater rooms renovated by AMREF are now operational. 45 medical staff were trained including 15 doctors and 20 nurses from both KNH and the rural district hospitals.

Hon Linah Chebii, Assistant Minister for Cooperative Development graced the occasion and pledged to lobby the government to play a bigger role in fistula treatment and prevention.

Visit our Google Plus page to see more photos from the VVF Walk.

Kenyatta National Hospital, East Africa’s largest referral hospital alone receives 400 cases annually of Obstetric fistula, which is known to be the most devastating of all pregnancy related injuries.

Here we met, 32 year old Purity Kageni, one of the thousands who suffered for eleven years from Obstetric fistula. Prolonged labor is one of the main causes of Obstetric fistula. So destructive is the injury that later it leaves the woman in constant pain as she almost continuously leaks urine and fecal matter.

The result is the unbearable odor of the condition that becomes a deadly curse, that saw Purity live as an outcast in her own family, loose several jobs, and eventually attempt to take her life twice.

Obstetric fistula can be treated with surgery, but thousands remain ignorant of the available treatment and the condition itself. Beatrice Muthoni, an HIV patient is also another survivor of fistula, who despite living in Nairobi city, suffered for two years.

With health facilities available, Beatrice claims that even the health workers in public hospitals didn’t tell her that the solution to her condition was surgery. She perhaps is just one the few lucky African women, who had her husband stand by her, but also underwent self isolation as she never spoke of her condition to anyone.

According to the African medical and research foundation, AMREF, It is estimated that in East Africa alone there are over 5000 new fistula cases each year. In Kenya, the condition mostly affects poor women and girls in remote and rural parts due to a severe shortage of health facilities.

Many women are forced to walk in labor for long distances in order to find a skilled supervised health facility to deliver, and often its too late for the baby.

Health workers in Kenya have in the past complained of a shortage of trained health workers, cited low wages and poor work conditions and are currently on a strike. The Kenyan government has in return sacked at least 25000 health workers in the country in the face of an existing shortage with no replacement.

With 400 cases reported every year in Kenyatta hospital, only 25 % are operated on. The cost for a single surgery is on average 300 $, a reason why many stay back at home due to lack of money.

For Purity, it was sheer luck after years that she underwent surgery during a free AMREF fistula camp. Later she tried reconciling back with her family only to realize that she was tagged for life as an outcast.

Thousands of women are reported with fistula every year, but the biggest loophole remains the access to information. This is one of leading causes of maternal mortality in east Africa, where government systems have failed to provide adequate health facilities and personnel to manage a curable and preventable condition. Experts believe that fistula is here to stay unless something is done soon.

Source: PressTV

The KNH Director flags off the VVF walk

For six years running, AMREF in partnership with KNH have been conducting National-wide VVF camps lasting two weeks.  This year’s camp was held on 10^th to 26^th June 2011 following media sensitization campaigns in the month preceding the camp and a VVF walk held on 10^th June 2011. As is the case in the previous camps, patients came from far and wide, with representation from all the regions in the country.

The OF patients turnout was largewith 320 women being screened and 102 repaired. KNH fully designated clinic 66 for VVF screening and surgery on routine bases and the theatre rooms renovated by AMREF are now operational. 45 medical staff were trained including 15 doctors and 20 nurses both KNH and the rural district hospitals.

Sofia Abdi, nominated Member of Parliament (MP) who hails from Ijara, one of the safe motherhood sites graced the occasion and pledged to lobby the government to play a bigger role in fistula treatment and prevention.

Drs Musomi and Khisa lead the MP through a tour of clinic 66

Drs Musomi and Khisa lead the MP through a tour of clinic 66

Participants also included five previously repaired and healed patients, who recited poems during the walk and launch of the camp.

Mothers who turned up during the camp at the far end

Previously repaired patients during the walk

To read some of the patients’ case studies, click HERE

The camp was held on 22-26th March in Garissa PGH. 22 patients were in attendance and hailed mostly from the Dadaab Refugee Camp. The turnout during this camp was 50% lower than the previous camps, attributable to the heavy rains which possibly cut off access to the town for many deserving women. Three VesicoVaginal Fistula (VVF) surgeons, one VVF Nurse and 10 trainee nurses/anaesthetist, doctors participated in the training.

Dr Khisa (seated) in one of the surgery/training session	A VVF trained nurse (right) from Kenyatta Hospital leads the team in record-taking
Drs Khisa (middle), Mitei and a VVF trainee nurse during a ward round

Lessons learnt

1. There may be need to organise regular fistula camps in Daadab to cater for the big number of women seeking repair in Garissa, which is almost 100Km away.
2. Mobilisation may be organised in liaison with the government health facility in Dadaab, as well as the lead agencies health clinics and organisations in the three camps (MSF, Care and GTZ).
3. OF awareness campaigns would be effective and cost efficient ways sensitising the refugee community is in one centralised area.
4. Pre-surgery counselling sessions would be of great help to those undergoing surgery, and more so the complicated cases so as to prepare the patients psychologically in case of failure or continued incontinence due to other reasons.

To read some of the Garissa patients’ case studies click HERE