FIGO World Congress
Perspectives
On 11 October 2023, Dr Charles-Henry Rochat took part in the panel entitled “The Pathway to Ending Obstetric Fistula: Surgical Training” at the XXIV FIGO Congress, a world congress of gynaecology and obstetrics. Here’s a review of the Paris event.
The trip to Paris had several aims:
To promote the Fistula Group programme of the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Dr Rochat’s participation in the FIGO Fistula Committee as a member of the Classification Group*.
Development of an orientation strategy for surgeons in training who are members of the Fistula Group team.
Implementing collaboration and research projects with humanitarian medicine networks abroad.
* For more details on the issues involved, see “the FIGO Fistula Surgery Training Manual“: 1.6. Obstetric Fistula Classification Systems
1. Promotion of the Fistula Group programme run by the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
The FIGO Congress is an important visibility platform for GFMER / Fistula Group. For nearly 70 years, FIGO World Congresses have brought together obstetricians, gynaecologists, midwives, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare professionals in the field of women’s health and policy from countries all over the world. More than 80 representatives of international health professionals took part in the panel featuring Dr Rochat and attended his presentation: “30 years of experience in Benin: how to scale up”.
2. Participation of Dr Rochat in the FIGO Fistula Committee.
The trip also coincided with her participation in the FIGO Fistula Committee, a particularly active and committed entity throughout the world.
Composition of the Obstetric Fistula Committee
President : Dr Rachel Pope, United States
Members : Dr Andrew Browning, Australia – (Past Chair), Dr Jeanne Conry, USA – Ex Officio, Dr Fekade Ayenachew, Ethiopia, Dr Shershah Syed, Pakistan, Dr Hillary Mabeya, Kenya, Dr Peter Majinge, Tanzania and Dr Ferry Boekhorst, Netherlands – WATOG.
Associate members : Dr Charles Rochat, Switzerland, Dr Itengre Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso, and Ms Gillian Slinger, United Kingdom.
The Obstetric Fistula Committee has a long-standing commitment to reducing the suffering caused by obstetric fistula and other childbirth-related injuries. The committee achieves this through the promotion of preventative methods, training and ongoing support for service providers to increase the availability and accessibility of high quality treatment so that more women receive timely and life-changing surgical repairs and holistic care. The committee supports FIGO’s Fistula Surgery Training Initiative, which focuses on building the capacity of fistula surgeons – FIGO Fellows – and multidisciplinary teams in fistula-affected countries.
Drs Charles-Henry Rochat , Fekade Ayenachew and GillianSinger
Dr Renaud Aholou, Prof Magueye Gueye, Dr Charles-Henry Rochat
Drs Charles-Henry Rochat, Renaud Aholou and Gillian Slinger
Aims of the committee
- Provide ad hoc support to the FIGO Fistula Surgery Training Initiative
- Provide technical advice to qualified fistula surgeons to maintain and increase their clinical services and lead fistula treatment initiatives.
- Raise awareness of obstetric fistula and promote effective prevention methods and holistic obstetric fistula care through advocacy and partnerships
- Promote evidence-based clinical practice in the treatment of obstetric fistula by initiating and facilitating clinical and social research
- Produce FIGO fistula guidelines and educational resources in partnership with the Fistula Surgery Training Initiative Expert Advisory Group and Project Team.
3. Development of an orientation strategy for surgeons who are members of the Fistula Group team in training.
Dr Renaud Aholou : Thanks to the fistula surgery training programme**, which takes place mainly in East Africa, Dr Renaud Aholou, the cornerstone of the Fistula Group in Benin and head of the maternity unit at Hôpital Saint Jean de Dieu in Tanguiéta, spent 6 weeks training in Addis Ababa in the spring of 2023. He is due to complete his expert training in one of the high-volume centres in 2024.
** The training courses, which last four to six weeks for Fellows and two to four weeks for teams, take place in established and popular FIGO fistula treatment centres/training centres in Africa. At each training centre, training is led by FIGO trainers who are expert fistula surgeons and their teams who have decades of experience in fistula treatment, as well as training all cadres of clinical staff in the holistic care of fistula patients.
with two theatre nurses, are Dr Renaud from Benin and Dr Salumu from DRC
Dr Martin: Currently training in Senegal, he is due to complete a 6-12 month placement in India.
4. Implementing collaboration and research projects with humanitarian medicine networks abroad.
Collaboration projects were also discussed during these meetings with Dr Luc de Bernis and Dr Jerôme Blanchot. In this context, GFMER / Fistula Group has undertaken to co-finance surgical workshops in Labé, Guinea.