Juba Teaching Hospital gate. | Courtesy.

A doctor at Juba Teaching Hospital said Saturday the facility has received 12 fistula patients in one month alone – a trend indicating an increasing cases.

Akech Deng, the Fistula Coordinator at Juba Teaching Hospital said they have recorded the cases in a period from April to May.

Deng said this is apart from cases that are yet to be received from the states.

“As I speak with you, the number of fistula cases is increasing daily. We finished surgery in April and we already have 12 new patients registered plus the number still to be sent from the states,” Deng said.

The health official also said the country has no single fistula surgeon and hires specialists from outside the country.

She appeals to the government to train obstetricians and gynecologists to treat increasing fistula cases in the country.

Deng also said other challenges facing fistula fights are related to poor roads and communication networks in the remoter parts of the country.

“Sometimes, there are places where there is no radio, and they cannot access information, so it is difficult to track clients in that area. The issue of floods and bad roads is also making it difficult.”

“So, we are appealing to our government to establish roads and communication networks in the remote areas.”

A fistula is an abnormal connection or passageway that connects two organs or vessels that do not usually connect.

Officials estimate that more than 60,000 South Sudanese women suffer from obstetric fistula, a medical condition in which a hole develops between the birth canal and one or more of the woman’s internal organs.

In many cases of obstetric fistula, the condition is caused by prolonged obstructed labor, which is also a leading cause of maternal mortality.