DeLauro Reintroduces Physician Education for Fistula Treatment Act
Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) reintroduced the Physician Education for Fistula Treatment Act. May 23rd is the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, a day to raise awareness about obstetric fistula which affects an estimated 500,000 women and girls worldwide each year.
“More than half a million women and girls around the world suffer the pain, shame and social isolation of obstetric fistula,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “We need more obstetric gynecologists who are informed, capable, and ready to help treat women of this condition. We can treat these diseases by investing in quality healthcare that empowers women and communities while giving doctors the tools they need to administer treatment. This year’s theme of the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is Breaking the Cycle: Preventing Fistula Worldwide. My Physician Education for Fistula Treatment Act would do this – combatting the shortage of obstetric gynecologists trained to treat fistula.”
“UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, applauds Congresswoman DeLauro's steadfast leadership on the issue of ending obstetric fistula, which is a tragic result of our collective failure to protect the reproductive rights of the most vulnerable and excluded women and girls. Survivors of fistula are not statistics; they are individuals. Through bold leadership, political will and targeted investments that uphold the rights and dignity of women and girls, we can save lives and eradicate childbirth injuries like obstetric fistula forever, and for all.” – Sarah Craven, Director, UNFPA North American Representational Office.
Women who experience untreated obstetric fistula, an abnormal opening between a woman's genital tract and her urinary tract or rectum, suffer constant incontinence, shame, social isolation, painful ulcers, and constant and uncontrollable emission of offensive odors. These symptoms leave a woman perpetually stigmatized by her condition.
The Physician Education for Fistula Treatment Act creates fellowship and residency programs through the National Institutes of Health, institutions of higher education, and existing clinical centers in sub-Saharan Africa that combat the shortage of obstetric gynecologists trained to treat fistula.
The bill creates specialized curriculum for medical students in women's health care, as well as establishes the International OB/GYN and Urogynecology Promotion Program at the National Institutes of health to carry out domestic training programs. Initiatives will be monitored through a ten-year strategic implementation and evaluation plan.
To read the bill text, click here.