Mali

EngenderHealth's activities in Mali focus on addressing obstetric fistula, a devastating childbirth-related injury caused by prolonged or obstructed labor without timely medical attention. The EngenderHealth-led Fistula Care Project is assisting Gao Regional Hospital in northern Mali in their efforts to prevent and treat fistula. Our partner, IntraHealth, implements these activities.

At the Gao Regional Hospital, the project strengthens the capacity of doctors and nurses to provide surgical repair for fistula by providing regular refresher trainings. And at the national Point G Hospital in Bamako and at health facilities in Segou and Mopti, infection prevention practices and family planning counseling have been introduced to improve the quality of care offered. The project is also collaborating with the nursing school in Gao to further strengthen emergency obstetric care in the school's curriculum and to better prepare medical professionals to prevent and treat fistula.

At the same time, Fistula Care works with local partners to raise awareness in communities about fistula and the importance of maternal health care and to identify women with fistula who need treatment.

Collaborating with national and regional health officials as well as international organizations, Fistula Care advocates for a national strategy to address fistula and for the incorporation of fistula care and prevention into national policies, norms, and procedures around maternal and reproductive health.