The Importance of Rehabilitation and Reintegration in Holistic Fistula Care

View the event agenda and speakers.

The USAID MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics project is organizing a webinar to commemorate the 2022 International Day to End Obstetric Fistula (IDEOF). The webinar is planned for Thursday, May 19, 2022, from 8:00 am to 10:00 am EST / 12:00 to 2:00 pm GMT.

To date, USAID-supported projects have facilitated more than 57,500 fistula repairs in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and trained over 400 fistula surgeons and more than 32,000 other health workers in skills related to fistula prevention and treatment around the world. To eradicate fistula, interventions must focus on both treatment of existing cases and prevention of new cases. While most interventions have focused on improving clinical outcomes and preventing fistula through community outreach and education, we want to draw attention to the important need for rehabilitation and reintegration services as part of holistic fistula programming.

The MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics project will be holding a virtual event in the lead-up to the annual International Day to End Obstetric Fistula with the topic of “IDEOF 2022: The Importance of Rehabilitation and Reintegration in Holistic Fistula Care.” The webinar will feature invited guest speakers from various organizations on the topics of physiotherapy, social rehabilitation and reintegration, economic empowerment, and community-based prevention of fistula recurrence. This event will also inform the creation of a Rehabilitation and Reintegration Working Group (R&RWG) at the global level that will support partner-led countries to implement appropriate strategies to help women with obstetric fistula post-repair or, those with complex fistulae, awaiting further repairs