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New CD-rom helps
mothers in the developing world
mothers in the developing world
The cover of the
new CD-Rom for health care professionals
By Sharon
Gray
With the help of resources at Memorial University, MaterCare
International has developed a CD-ROM to familiarize health care
professionals with the surgical and nursing care of women with
obstetric fistula.
This condition usually occurs in very young mothers, aged between
14 and 20 years, because of obstructed labour and cultural practices
such as female circumcision. For every death from childbirth
in developing countries, another 30 women suffer long-term damage
to their health when the baby dies and damage is caused to the
bladder and rectum during prolonged labour. These mothers become
incontinent of urine and/or feces and are social outcasts.
Obstetrician Dr. Bob Walley, Faculty of Medicine, has been championing
the cause of these women for many years. He founded MaterCare
International (www.matercare.org)
and has now helped develop a CD-ROM which offers an introduction
to the surgery and nursing management of obstetric fistulae.
The CD-ROM was developed by the Multi Media Instructional Development
Centre, Faculty of Medicine; with the co-operation of the Health
Sciences Information and Media Services, including medical illustrations
by Sylvia Ficken; the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology;
the School of Nursing at Memorial and the School of Nursing at
York University; and consultant physicians in the United Kingdom
and Nigeria.
“This presentation is not meant to be a definitive and comprehensive
training program,” said Dr. Walley. “We wanted to provide
an overview of obstetric fistulae and stimulate the interest
of health care professionals in developing countries to obtain
further training in the care of fistula patients.”
The CD-ROM will be made available for free to those working with
fistula patients, and will eventually be put on the MaterCare
Web site. Dr. Walley said the CD-ROM is also available to any
interested persons in the developed world for a donation to MaterCare
International. For further information, contact info@matercare.org.