Delays in Demand for Obstetric Fistula Treatment- a Case Study of Freedom From Fistula Foundation in Kenya

Abstract

Obstetric fistula is an abnormal communication between the vagina, the bladder and or the rectum causing uncontrollable leakage of the urine and or the stool. It is considered as the single most dehumanizing injury occurring from the childbearing process. Although efforts have been put to improve maternal and newborn health, the disease still poses a big challenge to such efforts. Obstructed labour has been identified as the most common cause of fistula. Despite treatment services being available, the uptake of the services by the patients is low. The study seeks to find out the reasons why most of the women with obstetric fistula delay seeking treatment services in Kenya. The study utilized cross-sectional data obtained from Freedom from Fistula Foundation, an organization that funds treatment services for women at the Kenyatta National hospital. The study employed the probit model to estimate the causes of delayed demand for obstetric fistula treatment services. The results show that a woman’s level of education significantly affects her health seeking behavior. The more educated the woman is the lower the chances of her delaying seeking fistula treatment. Other factors such as being married, the age of the mother, number of living children and the number of previous repairs attempts significantly affects the health seeking behavior for fistula treatment. The study emphasizes on the need to improve obstetric care in the country by increasing the number of facilities with the capacity to offer fistula treatment services as well as train more health personnel on fistula management. Finally, the study proposes policies that promote community health education on obstetric fistula