Provider Perspectives

The Fistula Care project works with dedicated surgical teams around the world who care for women with fistula. This page collects some of their stories about the work they do and the women they serve in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Uganda.

		Dr. Joseph Ruminjo was previously the Clinical Director for the Fistula Care Project. See here for an interview he gave in November 2006 about his experiences caring for traumatic fistula survivors.
		Dr. Steve Arrowsmith has been a fistula surgeon ever since his first visit to Africa in 1988. He explains that it is the courageous and strong women who inspire him to continue his work, and is committed to training other fistula surgeons to understand the philosophy and care that fistula repair work requires.
Bangladesh
		Prof. Azim is a leader in fistula prevention and treatment in Bangladesh.
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Ethiopia
		Mulu Atesbaha, although not a medical doctor, is learning surgical skills to transform the lives of women with fistula. Task shifting to nonphysicians for fistula repairs is not typical, however Mulu’s skills and dedication prove that with the right background, non-surgeons may be able to assist with fistula repair surgeries.
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Nigeria
		Dr. Abubakar Bello has assisted in more than 1,000 obstetric fistula repairs in northern Nigeria.
		Dr. Dantani Danladi plays a key role in addressing fistula in northwestern Nigeria. He is passionate about providing care to women with obstetric fistula, and he has undergone a series of extensive trainings with some of the most experienced fistula surgeons in the world.
		Dr. Ladan-Ibrahim Hassan discovered a mentally unstable woman with fistula living in his office when he first came to Kebbi Hospital in Nigeria. She is just one of the many women who he has repaired in over twenty years of providing fistula surgery.
		Dr. Mansur Mustapha Dada is passionate about helping women with fistula overcome stigma, depression, and the psychological trauma associated with fistula.
		Dr. Musa Mohd Birnin Tsaba works as a medical officer at the Farida VVF Center in Zamfara State, where he continues to work tirelessly to ensure that women with fistula can benefit from his services for years to come.
		Dr. Saad Idris got his start in fistula surgery when a grassroots women’s organization successfully advocated for doctors to be sent for training in fistula repair. Dr. Saad recently was named Commissioner of Health for the State of Zamfara in Nigeria. He is committed to continuing to carve out time to provide fistula repair surgery.
		Dr. Steve Onotu Arigidi is driven by a commitment to promote maternal health and eradicate maternal mortality and morbidity. As the chief medical officer at the Sobi Specialist Hospital, Dr. Arigidi is dedicated to delivering quality care to the many women suffering from fistula in Kwara State.
		Dr. Sunday Adeoye is a fistula surgeon in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, where the Fistula Care Project has recently expanded. He is grateful for the opportunity to make a difference in women’s lives and see their dignity restored.
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Senegal
		From his early days in the field of medicine, Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye has devoted himself to building international networks of physicians and researchers working to address some of the most complex urological conditions, including obstetric fistula.
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Sierra Leone
		Dr. Alyona Lewis is the only national fistula surgeon providing routine obstetric fistula repairs in all of Sierra Leone. Based at the Aberdeen Women’s Centre in Freetown, Dr. Lewis and her team transform the lives of hundreds of women each year.
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Sudan
		Halima made an extraordinary journey from fistula survivor to midwife in Darfur, Sudan.
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Uganda
		Dr. Frank Asiimwe is a general surgeon and trainer for fistula surgery. His unassuming manner and tenacity of purpose undoubtedly lend confidence to the obstetric fistula patients he treats in Uganda. He has performed more than 500 surgeries throughout his career.
		Dr. Maura Lynch was a dedicated fistula surgeon and friend of the Fistula Care and Fistula Care Plus projects, who worked at Kitovu Hospital in Uganda until her death in 2017. Remembering Sister Maura Lynch.

 

Listen to our colleagues from Uganda giving their perspectives on the work that they do and the women they serve: