Ending Fistula in Pakistan essential for women’s dignity, national progress

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd May, 2026) On the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, Dr. Luay Shabaneh, Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Pakistan, called for urgent and sustained action to eliminate the preventable childbirth injury that continues to undermine the health and dignity of women across the country.

In a press statement, Dr. Shabaneh described obstetric fistula as one of the most devastating childbirth injuries-caused either by prolonged obstructed labor without timely medical care or by surgical errors during obstetric and gynecological procedures. “No woman should suffer from this injury while giving life,” he emphasized, reiterating that fistula is both preventable and treatable.

Globally, an estimated 500,000 women and girls live with obstetric fistula. Dr. Shabaneh noted, adding the numbers were decreasing due to increased investments, far more needs to be done. Since 2003, UNFPA has supported more than 153,000 fistula repair surgeries worldwide.

In Pakistan, the situation is particularly alarming as around 70 percent of fistula cases result from surgical injuries, highlighting systemic gaps in the quality and safety of obstetric and gynecological surgeries. Teenage pregnancies, limited access to maternal health facilities, and insufficient surgical training compound the risks.

Dr. Shabaneh said these sobering ratios demand immediate action, stressing the need for uncompromising investment in quality emergency obstetric care, specialized training, and standardized surgical practices.

To address the crisis, UNFPA Pakistan has established a Regional Center of Excellence at Koohi Goth Hospital (KGH), which now served as a national referral hub for fistula treatment and a training facility for surgeons.

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The Centre aimed to treat around 800 survivors annually, achieving a 96 percent success rate. Beyond surgery, the program provided psychosocial counseling, literacy support and vocational training to help survivors reintegrate into society with dignity.

The facility recently hosted its first regional surgical training, welcoming participants from Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan-positioning Pakistan as a regional leader in fistula management.

UNFPA has conducted more than 5,000 competency-based trainings and built a national network of 23 specialized surgeons, supported by trained nurses and anesthetists. The organization continues to invest in safe pelvic surgery workshops for young doctors across Pakistan, helping prevent surgically induced (iatrogenic) fistula.

The economic burden of untreated fistula is immense. Lost productivity alone costs nearly US$ 691 million globally each year. Dr. Shabaneh stressed that every repaired fistula restored not only a woman’s health but also her confidence, her social connections and her future. He added that ending fistula was an investment in women’s rights, dignity and economic participation.

Dr. Shabaneh emphasized that Pakistan has the expertise, partnerships and commitment needed to eliminate obstetric fistula. What is needed now, he noted, was sustained investment and coordinated national action. “Let us renew our commitment to a future where no woman suffers a preventable childbirth injury, and every woman can live with the health, dignity and opportunity she deserves,” he concluded.