Too Long to Wait: Obstetric Fistula and the Sociopolitical Dynamics of the Fourth Delay in Soroti,Uganda

Abstract

Uganda has one of the highest obstetric fistula rates in the world with approximately 200,000 women currently suffering. Surgical closure successfully treats fistula in the majority of cases, yet there is a severe shortage of facilities and trained surgeons in low-resource countries. The purpose of this study was to examine Ugandan women’s experiences of obstetric fistula with the aim of adding narrative depth to the clinical literature on this devastating birth injury. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. Resulting narratives were consensus coded, and key themes were member-checked using reciprocal ethnography. Women who suffered from fistula described barriers in accessing essential obstetric care during labor—barriers that are consistent with the three delays framework developed by Thaddeus and Maine. In this article, we extend this scholarship to discuss a fourth, critical delay experienced by fistula survivors—the delay in the diagnosis and treatment of their birth injury.

Keywords

women’s health gender,lived experience health,reproduction Sub-Saharan Africa Africans qualitative methods research design,ethnography research strategies,interviews qualitative

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