Let No Woman or Girl Slip through the Cracks: Establishing Obstetric Fistula as a Notifiable Condition

An estimated more than 2 million women and girls are currently living with obstetric fistula, primarily in developing countries in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab States region. Thousands more develop fistula annually due to numerous factors, including lack of access to emergency obstetric care. In December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for intensified efforts to end obstetric fistula globally. The resolution calls upon countries to take several actions toward eliminating fistula and supporting fistula survivors. One such action is to establish obstetric fistula as a nationally notifiable condition in affected countries. Establishing fistula as a notifiable condition will enhance the ability of governments and health care providers to identify women and girls with fistula, perform surgery to repair the fistula, and follow up after surgery and provide additional support as needed, including if and when a woman becomes pregnant again. This will also lead to more precise data on the incidence and prevalence of obstetric fistula, which will help inform policy. The UNFPA-led Campaign to End Fistula is currently working with key partner organizations, governments and experts to develop guidelines and recommendations for establishing obstetric fistula as a notifiable condition. UNFPA/the Campaign will present on current progress, the proposed implementation process for establishing fistula as a nationally notifiable condition, next steps and expected impact of this initiative.