By; ABUBAKAR RABILU, Gombe
A team of doctors from the ECWA Evangel VVF Centre, in collaboration with CBM, are performing free surgery for about 36 women in Gombe, to solve their problems, especially those suffering from urinary tract challenges.
However, 56 others have been sent to Jos, for further check up and treatment.
Addressing the media in Gombe, the medical Director at the Zainab Bulkachuwa, Women and Children Hospital, Dr. Ahmadu Dangana said 180 women were screened for the surgery, but 36 were treated and 56 others were sent to Jos for their surgery.
Dr. Dangana said the only problem they faced was that the doctors were supposed to stay for two weeks, but that due to some problems they only worked for one week, before they returned, because they did not start the work at the right time.
He said the cause of urinary tract infection was the failure of women not going to see a doctor regularly during pregnancy and giving birth at home without receiving professional care.
He praised the Gombe State Government for focusing on the health sector and called on women to go to the hospital every time they get pregnant, so as to avoid the issues that would cause them such problems.
Dr. Dangana added that poverty and early marriage played a significant role in preventing pregnant women from going to the doctor,
In the meantime, Dr. Gowon Ayuba, from ECWA Evangelist Centre Bingham Teaching Hospital, Jos, said that they have been doing carrying free medical outreach in Gombe for four years, and they were only doing it in two states, Gombe and Taraba, since 2023 till the end of 2027
According to him, the present outreach was witnessing the number of women and children with the issue of VVF/RVF Medical/Surgical outreaches for women and girls leaking urine and or stool.
Dr. Ayuba said that they had already wasted time and didn’t start early, so they didn’t finish the work, so they referred the other women to Jos to work on them there.
He said their transport and feeding had been paid for, as well as any other tasks they have to do.
“But we have given them the option that anyone who thinks she can’t go to Jos, should wait for us to come back in April to continue this work. If they want to come back, they should check them,” Dr. Ayuba said.
One of the staff who works with this health centre, Mrs. Grace Gideon, clarified that they had a collaboration between Aseitin and the CBM Centre, working with the Gombe and Taraba states from the North East region.
Mrs. Gideon said that they were also working because of the leakage of urine that women face and those who did not have money to pay for the surgeries.
She said that there were some cases that were impossible to handle outside the hospital, but had to go to the Jos hospital, because of the available tools for the surgery.
Mrs. Gideon said they had always conducted their surgeries in private hospitals, but that this was the first time that the government gave them the Zainab Bulkachuwa Government Hospital for the surgeries.
Some of the beneficiaries of the programme praised the institution for the intervention in offering them free services without receiving a dime.
They also called on women with such medical conditions, that they should come out to get the needed intervention.
