Over 5,000 women living with fistula, Specialists Warn

MULTAN: (Web Desk) – Multan’s leading medical specialists sounded the alarm on fistula on World Fistula Day, revealing that over 5,000 women in Pakistan and more than two million across the developing world continue to endure the debilitating condition, most in silence and social isolation.

Speaking at a press conference held in connection with World Fistula Day, observed annually on May 23, senior urologist Professor Dr. Muhammad Rafiq Anjum said the condition remains gravely underaddressed despite being both treatable and preventable. He was joined by gynaecologists Professor Dr. Sajjad Masood, Professor Dr. Sobia Mazhar, and Regional Fistula Centre Multan Coordinator Naseem Akhtar. Dr. Anjum observed that 90 percent of fistula cases during childbirth result in stillbirth, making timely obstetric care not just a medical necessity but a matter of life and death. He stressed if quality maternal care is provided during labour and delivery, fistula can be prevented entirely.

The specialists called for elimination of the condition by 2030, in line with UNFPA and Fistula Foundation goals, urging a fundamental shift in public attitude and decisive action against unqualified practitioners.

Gynaecologists Dr. Sajjad Masood and Dr. Sobia Mazhar declared that building a fistula-free future was a core mission, emphasising that investment in maternal healthcare infrastructure was non-negotiable. They called for trained and adequately paid midwives at basic health units and tehsil-level hospitals, warning that socio-cultural, economic, and political barriers continue to fuel the crisis at the grassroots level.

The specialists urged policymakers to ensure safe, comprehensive, and accessible fistula treatment for all women and girls in need.