Wife of the Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs. Rachel Umahi, has provided succor for 63 Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) repaired patients at the National Obstetric Fistula centre(NOFIC), Abakaliki.
The women were repaired free of costs and were trained and rehabilitated by Mrs. Umahi with support from the UNFPA.
They were each handed over rehabilitation items and transport fares back to their various states.
The patients who came from Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Kogi, Anambra, Edo and Lagos States, were repaired during the Pool-effort Fistula Repair Campaign of the NOFIC which was co-sponsored by Mrs. Umahi, UNFPA, Gender Unit of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Fistual Foundation and NOFIC, Abakaliki.
In her remarks during the campaign, Mrs. Umahi advised the women to adhere strictly to medical advice offered them after being repaired to avoid a relapse.
“The beautiful story is that these fistula patients who lived in pains, misery and shame are today free. They can now gladly do their businesses and socialize with others freely and happily. The fact that they would no longer have a lingering thought of how to go about their fistula condition, brings a new lease of life to these women and girls. The number of women repaired in this pool effort, the continuous repair of fistula clients together with other professional services provided by this hospital has made NOFIC a centre of excellence in Nigeria.
“For the repaired fistula patients, I charge you to keep strictly to all the advice given to you by the Doctors and Nurses. It is for your benefit”, she stated.
The Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Johnson Obuna, told the repaired patients to avoid sex for the next six months, avoid being pregnant for the next one year and avoid patronizing quacks whenever they have health issues in order not to make them suffer the disease again.
“For the repaired patients, the management and staff of NOFIC want to join to share your joy. But we want you to abstain from sex for six good months. As you go now, you are going to rejoin your family members and there will be no more smell of urine and feaces in your houses. You can now attend those village meetings they were telling you not to attend, you can attend now. You can attend markets and churches without anybody harassing you. So, we implore you to adhere to all the instructions and pieces of advice you have been given to since you have been coming here and may I remind you those pieces of advice; number one, please, you know you are looking more beautiful now after your repairs and your husbands have been running away when you were suffering this disease.
“Your husband will want to jump on you now to do shuku shuku!!. No sex for the next six months. Before you even reach home, if you have phone, call your husband and say ‘darling, I am not available for sex for the next six months’. If you allow your husband to meet you, he will tear all our good jobs on you which have stopped you from leaking urine and feaces and you will start leaking urine and feaces again.
“Another instruction you must adhere to is that you will never be pregnant for the next one year, please avoid being pregnant for next one year. After one year you are free to get pregnant, once you miss your period, run to this hospital. We will book you and take care of you both your antenatal and delivery, we are here for you. From now till the day you will, don’t patronize quacks. When you have anything that bothers you, go to hospital, don’t patronize quacks at all”, he stated.
