Holding of the International Conference of Burundian Women, 3rd Edition

The fistula of the obstetric origin represents the drama of the childbirth in the developing countries including Burundi. The treatment of those women in a fistula center at the Kamenge University Hospital Center (CHUK) is carried out.
The obstetric fistula is the abnormal communication between a woman’s lower or upper genital tract and the bladder and rectum. The consequences of that abnormal communication is the permanent and uncontrolled passage of the urine and feces through the female genital tract for the multiple causes among them Obstetrics (Neoplastic, Infectious, Iatrogenic, Traumatic, Radiotherapy, etc.).
In Burundi, the treatment of the women who had the childbirth complications such as the fistula began in 2006 by a Dr. Gynecologist after having received the training outside the country. That activity was initiated by the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called Gynecology Without Borders, the Services France Group (GSF) supported by the Ministry of the Public Health and the Fight against AIDS in Burundi and the United Nations Fund for the population (UNFPA) as part of relieving women with obstetric fistula and training a Gynecologist for the continuity of care for those women in a fistula center at the Kamenge University Hospital Center.

The activities were characterized by the on-site and the video-conference presentations by the doctors of gynecology. All the presentations focused on the risk factors (age, obstetric history, pathologies, vaginal bleeding, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, diabetes, anemia, viral infections, signs of fetal hypoxia, etc. ) and the effective strategies for the prevention of the obstetric fistulas which are: raising the awareness among the young women about the causes of the obstetric fistula and the consequences of the obstetric fistula, prevention of the obstetric fistula, the diagnosis of obstetric fistula, the treatment effective, and the support for the affected women.

The guests of the day were the Rector of the University of Burundi Dr. Audace Manirabona, the Director General of Kamenge University Hospital Center Dr. Stanslas Harakandi, certain doctors and specialists in gynecology, and certain women from different institutions as well as the diasporas who are in Burundi.

The obstetric care includes all care given to the women during pregnancy, the childbirth and the postpartum, as well as care for the newborns is essential and indispensable. They aim to preventing the health problems during pregnancy, detecting the abnormal conditions, providing the medical assistance if necessary and putting in place emergency measures if that is lacking. That is why it was concluded that the obstetric fistula remains the public health problem in Burundi and deserves the primarily preventive rather than the curative care. All healthcare personnel, especially those responsible for monitoring pregnancy in general and childbirth in particular, should combine their efforts to eradicate the obstetric complication. There is also the need to train the gynecological doctors at CHUK on fistula surgery, and create a fistula center at CHUK for teaching the future general practitioners how to manage the obstetric fistula before going into the field.
The Director General of the Kamenge University Hospital Center Dr. Stanslas Harakandi concluded the conference by asking the participants to combine their efforts to fight against this disease by making women aware that they must have the regular prenatal and postnatal consultations, during pregnancy, during  childbirth and even postpartum.
On Friday March 15, 2024, the women from the Burundian diaspora in collaboration with those in Burundi organized an international women’s conference in the Kamenge University Hospital Center (CHUK) meeting room under the theme: “No to the obstetric fistulas ». The Conference was based on three main points which are: improving the treatment of the obstetric fistulas, empowering the reintegration of mothers, and strengthening the medical infrastructure. The objective of holding the conference was for raising the awareness and understanding the causes and consequences of the obstetric fistulas, the preventive methods and the assistance to the patients.
The pregnancy and the childbirth are the high-risk periods for the women. More than a third of women experience a lasting health problem after the childbirth, including the obstetric fistula.

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