Maternal and Child Health Programs:
Maternal and child
health is an issue of growing concern throughout
the developing world. Preventable diseases and poor healthcare are causing
an increase in maternal and infant death rates. Every minute of every day, a
woman dies giving birth, and more than 50 million women in the world suffer
from poor reproductive health. Physicians for Peace designed the Women's
and Children's Health Initiative to address these issues by providing medical education programs that enhance both capability and capacity in women's
health care.
VVF Surgery
VVF and RVF (vesicovaginal fistula and rectovaginal fistula) are serious complications of childbirth, where prolonged labor results in serious tissue
damage and creation of holes between the vaginal wall and the bladder or
rectum of a woman. The condition occurs more often in developing countries
where women become pregnant at a very young age. Their small pelvic size
and lack of access to proper medical care during childbirth results in the type
of obstructed and prolonged labor that causes VVF. Living with the effects of
this condition can be devastating. Women are often discarded by their
husbands, ostracized by their families, and live as social outcasts with no
way to support themselves. |
Physicians for Peace VVF missions are designed to assist local hospitals
with all aspects of care for victims of this condition, from performing
reconstructive surgeries, to stocking hospital supply rooms, to providing
food and job training to women during their post-op recovery period so
that they can leave the hospital with hope for a new life. |
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