New Research to Shorten Recovery Time for Fistula Repair

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By: Vandana Tripathi, Deputy Director, Fistula Care Plus, EngenderHealth

For women living with obstetric fistula who constantly leak urine or feces, the opportunity to undergo surgical repair can be life-changing. However, treatment itself can bring many challenges, including a long post-operative recuperation in the hospital. One of the key factors that determines the length of post-operative inpatient stay is how long a woman needs bladder catheterization, a small tube inserted into the bladder through the urethra to drain urine, after surgery. New research has just been published to define appropriate catheterization times, shortening a woman’s length of stay… read more

Accounting for 1 in 3 Maternal Deaths, Health Disparities Persist in South Asia

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By: Linnea Bennett, Intern, Environmental Change and Security Program, Woodrow Wilson Center

The state of maternal health in South Asia is difficult to assess. Although rates of maternal mortality are declining between 2 and 2.5 percent a year overall, the region’s massive population – one fifth of the world and over 1 billion people in India alone – means it still accounts for one out of three maternal deaths. In February, Oxfam India hosted the South Asia Consultation on Maternal Health in Kathmandu, Nepal, which brought together delegates from each South Asian country to discuss recurring problems and highlight four persistent challenges as well as recommendations for improving results in maternal health. As part of the Advancing Policy Dialogue on Maternal Health Series, the MHTF, along with UNFPA, supported the Wilson Center to host a panel of participants from the consultation for the event “South Asia Consultation on Maternal Health: Regional Dialogue and Way Forward”… read more