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Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: Supporting women battling Vesicovaginal Fistula

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu/LinkedIn

Mar 21, 2025, 15:45

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: Supporting women battling Vesicovaginal Fistula

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, UICC President-Elect of 2024-2026, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“A few weeks ago, I visited the VVF hospital in Kebbi, to see how they are doing. I wanted to offer my support, as I have done over the years, both financially and emotionally, to women battling Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), a devastating condition caused by prolonged obstructed labor.

I engaged 42 post-repair women, some of whom had repeat fistulas following yet another unsupervised pregnancy, without a planned cesarean section and prolonged home delivery. However, the overall condition of the center was laudable.

VVF leads to uncontrollable urine leakage, leaving women isolated, stigmatized, and often abandoned by their families. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially in Africa, it is a silent crisis. Nigeria has over 800,000 women living with untreated VVF, with 12,000 new cases each year.

The northern part of Nigeria is particularly affected, accounting for over 80% of VVF cases in the country due to factors like poor nutrition, high rates of teenage pregnancies, and limited access to quality maternal healthcare. In states like Kebbi, Sokoto, and Katsina, maternal healthcare challenges are exacerbated by poverty, low literacy rates, and cultural barriers.

Existing research shows that 1 in 10 women in northern Nigeria will experience obstetric fistula in their lifetime, and only 1 in 3 have access to skilled birth attendants during delivery. The impact is heartbreaking: physical pain, emotional trauma, and social exclusion.

With awareness, access to surgical repair, and support, we can help these women reclaim their lives and dignity. The Kebbi center has a long record of delivering holistic care from surgery to occupational rehabilitation to women in and around the state.

My visit was to further support the administration of HE Governor Nasir Idris and encourage the dedicated healthcare workers, hospital management and partners who passionately sustain the center.

Women have no business suffering from this condition in 2025. It is a reflection of poor maternal care. I therefore encourage pregnant women to use antenatal care and aim for a supervised delivery. We must prioritize women’s health, provide adequate funding, nutrition and strengthen our health delivery system.

Only with all of these can we end the scourge of VVF and ensure that no woman suffers in silence.

To learn more about VVF, watch this documentary by Raise Foundation and Dr. Amina Abubakar.”

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: Supporting women battling Vesicovaginal Fistula