Monrovia, Liberia--“The emotional pain I had to endure after being diagnosed with obstetric fistula is indescribable,” says Mercy Benson, a fistula survivor.
“Just within a twinkle of an eye, everything around me crumbled. My boyfriend was the first to abandon me. Other friends and family members followed him. But I am thankful that my elder sister was there for me,” adds Mercy.
Recounting her ordeal
The 36-year-old and mother of three, Mercy, developed an obstetric fistula following a difficult delivery at the Redemption Hospital in Monrovia in April 2021.
She recalls: “I spent more than 24 hours at home in Harrisburg while in labor before my family took me to the Redemption Hospital after realizing that the midwife attending to me at home could not assist me in delivering.”
Mercy arrived at the Redemption Hospital and had to endure another 24 hours before receiving a C-section to deliver her baby.
Two weeks after returning home, she started leaking urine uncontrollably.
“I went back to Redemption Hospital to inform them that I was wetting myself since I delivered. After examination by the midwife, she informed me that I had developed fistula,” says Mercy
According to Mercy, her boyfriend left the house, leaving their three children with her, including the newborn, upon hearing that she had developed fistula.
Restoring health and dignity to women
In December 2021, Redemption Hospital referred Mercy to the Liberia Fistula Programme supported by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. She underwent successful surgery at the Phebe Hospital.
Mercy could not hide her joy. “I am thankful to God that I am completely healed after the first surgery," she says.
"When I was awaiting surgery, I met many of my colleagues who had had more than one unsuccessful surgery," Mercy added.
According to the 2019-2020 Liberia Demographic and Health Survey, sixteen percent of pregnant women in Liberia will give birth alone or without skilled care. However, among those who do receive assistance, many will not receive the quality of care they need to preserve their lives and health or their newborns. There is less than one midwife per 1000 population, a major contributing factor to the country's maternal deaths ratio of 742 per 100,000 live births. Additionally, many suffer severe or long-lasting illnesses or disabilities, including fistula.
Campaign to end fistula in Liberia
Since 2008, UNFPA, with funding from partners including Zonta International and the EU-Funded Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women, has supported the Government to end fistula in Liberia.
Mercy is among the more than 2,000 women and girls who have benefited from free fistula treatment by the Liberia Fistula Programme at the Ministry of Health.
In addition to treating fistula survivors, the programme conducts fistula prevention through community awareness and the training of skilled healthcare providers; and rehabilitates survivors through support services, including counseling and income-generating activities/business skills training to support their reintegration into the communities after treatment.
