The Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid Fund

The Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid Fund operates the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital located in Ethiopia. It was established by Australian doctors Reg and Catherine Hamlin. This is the only hospital in the world that specialises in fistula surgery.

A fistula is a tear in a woman's bladder caused by an obstructed labor during childbirth. In developed countries, the obstructed childbirth can be successfully carried out with medical assistance or by caesarean section. However, in many developing countries such as Ethiopia, people live in remote and often inaccessible areas. Prenatal care is limited and if problems occur during labour, hospital assistance is almost impossible. As such, a mother with a small or malformed pelvis or a badly positioned child may be in labour for five or more days without help.

As a result of the prolonged and obstructed labour, the woman's bladder can be torn, creating a fistula. When a fistula occurs, the woman is unable to control the flow of urine. Because of the objectionable smell associated with this, the women are typically rejected by their husbands and families and become social outcasts from their village community. Women sufferers have a deep sense of shame.

The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital was established to treat these women. The Hospital operates free of charge on over 3,000 impoverished Ethiopian women each year with a success rate of 93%. Over 30,000 women have been cured of this debilitating injury since the hospital opened. Most of the women have been able to return to a normal lifestyle with restored dignity.

The hospital is also recognised internationally as a training centre for fistula surgery. It regularly trains doctors from other developing countries in this surgical specialty so that they can return to their home countries and deal with this significant problem.

Further information on the work of the hospital can be found on the Aid Fund's website: www.fistulatrust.org