Aira Hospital

About 2-3 years ago I was approached by a NGO representative was looking into the fistula business searching for a fistula project to support with the surplus of money which as I was told by their representative had been donated after the Tsunami catastrophe. Being a layman that person unfortunately had the same popular - but never the less wrong - ideas about fistulas as the ignorant majority and would only consider financial support for “rehabilitation” and “reintegration” - whatever was meant by that - and more unfortunate was not willing to take advice from a medical professional (read the post “THE FISTULA PROJECT”  - Thursday September 24′th 2009)

The regular reader of this blog knows by now that a woman leaking urine from a fistula is rehabilitated by a successful repair that makes her dry, and the only kind of reintegration is to have a live baby by cesarean if the patient manages to get pregnant again. That happens in about 25 % of successfully repaired fistula patients and there is not much you can do to change that.

I thought that the above mentioned project had been buried long time ago, but lately I learned to my big surprise that it is still on the table. It is a typical office desk product made by layman without any knowledge or practical experience in obstetric fistulas with all the classical misconceptions included.

Laymen as I have come to understand firmly believe that the basic content of a fistula project is a waiting area, a car and money for the women to “start a new life”. Even so with the mentioned project proposal.

The proposed costs for administration including salaries surpass 1/3 of the project money.

There is money for this and that, but not a single cent for surgical repair of fistulas.

One post called “Subsidy complicated deliveries Addis Abeba Fistula Hospital” is puzzling. We are dealing with all kinds of complicated deliveries at Aira Hospital. There is absolutely no need of referring any complicated delivery anywhere – definitely not to Addis Abeba. Mother and child would die on the road and the Fistula Hospital does not deal with deliveries anyway.

Another confusing post is “Anti natal surgeon training”?! “Anti” means against and “natal” something with nativity. Does it implicate that a surgeon has to be trained in surgery against nativity - tubal ligation, a procedure which is performed by our operating theatre staff on a regular base?   

I do not want to bore you with more details. You can read for yourself. But as I mentioned there is not a single cent for surgical repair of fistulas. Imagine a restaurant with beautiful interior, nice decorations, live music, excellent service, clean rest rooms and cocktail bar - but no kitchen!

It is tragic for the fistula patients who are in dire need of support. Who cares? Obviously not NGO white collar employees idling on a useless project proposal for years living their comfortable lives far away on a steady income.  

I rather confident that the hospital administration is clever enough not to get involved in this mess.