On the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Pakistan, Dr. Luay Shabaneh, called for urgent and sustained action to eliminate obstetric fistula, describing it as a preventable childbirth injury that continues to affect thousands of women and girls.

In a press statement, Dr. Shabaneh said obstetric fistula is one of the most devastating childbirth injuries caused by prolonged obstructed labor without timely medical care or by surgical complications during obstetric and gynecological procedures.

He said the condition leaves women incontinent and often isolated from their families and communities, causing severe physical, emotional, and social suffering.

“Every woman has the right not only to survive childbirth, but to live with health and dignity,” he said.

According to UNFPA, around 500,000 women and girls worldwide are living with obstetric fistula. Between 2003 and 2025, UNFPA supported more than 153,000 fistula repair surgeries globally.

Dr. Shabaneh warned that in Pakistan, teenage girls and women remain vulnerable to fistula due to limited access to quality maternal healthcare and preventable surgical injuries, also known as iatrogenic fistula.

He revealed that nearly 70 percent of fistula cases in Pakistan are linked to surgical injuries, stressing the need for improved emergency obstetric care, standardized surgical services, and specialized training for healthcare providers.

To address the issue, UNFPA Pakistan established a Regional Center of Excellence for fistula care at Koohi Goth Hospital in Karachi. The center serves as a national referral hub for fistula treatment and a training facility for surgeons.

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The center aims to treat around 800 fistula survivors annually and provides psychosocial support, literacy, and vocational training to help women reintegrate into society. The facility has also hosted regional training programs for surgeons from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan.

UNFPA has further conducted over 5,000 competency-based trainings and developed a network of 23 specialized surgeons, along with trained nurses and anesthetists, to improve safe pelvic surgery practices across Pakistan.

Highlighting the economic impact, Dr. Shabaneh said untreated fistula results in an estimated global productivity loss of nearly $691 million annually.

He emphasized that investments in maternal healthcare and fistula treatment are investments in women’s dignity, rights, and economic participation.

Calling for collective action, the UNFPA representative urged the government, healthcare institutions, and development partners to ensure universal access to quality maternal healthcare, timely fistula treatment, rehabilitation services, and efforts to eliminate stigma faced by survivors.