More than 2,000 Nigerian women have received free fistula surgery at a Christian hospital in Jos that treats patients of all faiths, as the country's first lady calls for an end to child marriage, a leading cause of the condition.
Bingham University Teaching Hospital, the medical ministry of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), made the disclosure May 23 during the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula and published a video series on its Facebook page featuring stories and testimonies. The hospital operates the Evangel VVF Center, which focuses on vesicovaginal fistula — an abnormal opening between the bladder and vagina that results from prolonged, obstructed labor without adequate medical care.
Nigeria has one of the world's highest rates of obstetric fistula, accounting for about 40% of global cases. The country records an estimated 13,000 new cases each year, and between 400,000 and 800,000 Nigerian women are currently living with unrepaired obstetric fistula awaiting surgery, according to UNICEF.
Child marriage is a direct driver of obstetric fistula. Girls who become pregnant before their bodies are fully developed face a heightened risk of the prolonged obstructed labor that causes the condition. According to UNFPA, girls who become pregnant before age 15 in low- and middle-income countries have double the risk of obstetric fistula compared with older women.
Gwong Ayuba, a staff member at the Evangel VVF Center, said the hospital seeks to reach women across the country.
"The Evangel VVF Centre, Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos, which partners with Christian Blind Mission (CBM), a global Christian ministry, has successfully carried out surgeries and repairs of over two thousand women and girls suffering from abnormal or damaged connections from the bladder and vagina, medically known as Vesicovaginal Fistula, in all parts of Nigeria," Ayuba said.
This year's global observance carried the theme "Her Health Is A Right: Invest In Ending Fistula And Childbirth Injuries." Hundreds of women received treatment at the hospital and through outreach events across the country.
The International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is observed annually on May 23 to raise awareness about a childbirth injury that affects millions of women and girls worldwide.
Nigeria's first lady, Remi Tinubu, issued a statement for the occasion calling for an end to child marriage and obstetric fistula. She said no woman or girl should suffer from the condition, noting it is both preventable and treatable.
"Let us work together to build a future where every birth is safe and no woman loses her life in childbirth," Tinubu said.
Bingham University Teaching Hospital was founded in 1959 by missionaries with Sudan Interior Mission, now known as SIM, which is headquartered in the United States. At Nigeria's independence in 1960, SIM transferred its ministry activities to ECWA, its Nigerian partner. The hospital's stated mission is to "Preach the Gospel, Heal the Sick."
