Migori County in partnership with the Safaricom/Mpesa Foundation and the Flying Doctors have targeted to provide reconstructive surgery to at least 120 fistula patients in Migori.
Speaking during a courtesy call to Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko, Mpesa Foundation Chairperson Nicholas Nganga said that they have been partnering with the counties and the Flying Doctors in the health sector to provide hope and restore dignity to women affected with fistula in the country.
Nganga said that the Safaricom/Mpesa Foundation with continue to partner with the Flying Doctors on issues of health especially on maternal and child welfare to give hope to mothers and children as well as improve maternity wings in selected projects.
He, however, encouraged more women and the community at large to come out and disclose those suffering with Fistula to help them get the free medical camp services to restore women’s dignity and respect.
“Unless we have a very healthy and active public health system that can be able to identify people and ask them to come forward, we can only depend on activities like medical camps to do reconstructive fistula surgery”, said Nganga.
He also noted that the foundation was deliberating on increasing the fistula reconstructive surgery twice a month to reach more people that need the medical attention.
He said that the Safaricom/Mpesa Foundation will continue working with the county government to give hope to suffering fistula women for a better future society.
The Flying Doctors Society of Africa-Council Member Ambassador Connie Maina disclosed that they have been the main organisation behind the fistula for more than 16 years.
Maina said that the Flying Doctors have been partnering with the Safaricom/Mpesa Foundation for the past eight years with more than 2,000 fistula repair cases done in the country.
Maina however said that awareness creation and mobilisation is the key to addressing the fistula menace in the country.
She noted that the majority of individuals in the community still think fistula is a curse making it hard for the affected women to get the much needed medical attention.
Maina also added that the Flying Doctors have been training doctors and nurses to help in the fight and ensure that fistula menace is eradicated by 2030 in Kenya and possibly in East Africa.
Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko however noted that the fistula menace has made women feel dehumanised and lose dignity. Ochilo said that his administration will continue to engage the Safaricom/Mpesa Foundation and the Flying Doctors to help prioritise health in the county.
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