The Hajiya Gambo Sawaba General Hospital (HGSGH) Fistula Centre, Zaria, has successfully repaired over 2,000 obstetric fistula cases since its establishment in 1999.

Chief Surgeon of the centre, Dr. Mohammed-Ado Zakari, disclosed this on Saturday during the 2026 commemoration of the International Day to End Fistula held at the hospital in Zaria.

According to Zakari, the centre currently performs an average of 150 repairs annually, with a success rate of over 70 percent.

The chief surgeon said five doctors and several nurses had also been trained at the centre under the mentorship of Dutch Fistula Surgeon, Dr.

He said the centre was established through collaborative efforts of the Kaduna State Government, Rotary International, and Waaldijk to address the growing burden of obstetric fistula in northern Nigeria.

Zakari described obstetric fistula as an abnormal opening between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, caused mainly by prolonged obstructed labour, resulting in continuous leakage of urine or stool.

He said the condition remains a major public health and social problem, particularly among rural women with poor access to quality maternal healthcare.

The surgeon revealed that globally, more than two million women “are living with untreated obstetric fistula, while between 50,000 and 100,000 new cases occur annually.”

He added that Nigeria alone may have between 100,000 and one million women living with untreated fistula.

Zakari identified early marriage, home delivery, shortage of skilled birth attendants, poverty, and prolonged obstructed labour as major causes of the condition.

He also raised concerns over increasing cases linked to medical quackery and poor surgical practices.

According to him, over 60 percent of private clinics in Zaria do not have qualified medical personnel to handle maternal healthcare needs.

“We currently have patients who are victims of such unqualified medical personnel undergoing fistula repairs at the centre.

“I am retired and own a private hospital, but I know that the priority of some private clinics is money, not patient-centred services,” he said.

The surgeon, however, commended the Federal Government for interventions through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) initiatives.

The 2026 theme for the International Day to End Fistula is: “Her Health is a Right: Invest in Ending Fistula and Childbirth Injury”.

The centre used the occasion to hold a special session for traditional and religious leaders.

The session urged participants to leverage the state health insurance scheme and other federal government’s interventions to improve access to quality, subsidized medical care.

Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Hassan Adamu, reiterated the hospital’s commitment to providing robust health services to VVF patients.

He called for increased investment by governments, development partners, and philanthropists to strengthen maternal healthcare services and eliminate fistula and childbirth injuries.

In his remarks, Alhaji Sambo Shehu-Idris, District Head of Zaria and Kewaye, commended the centre for the event.

Idris, represented by Alhaji Ibrahim Sarki, Ward Head of Madarkaci, lamented that traditional leaders were closest to the communities and often reported the presence of quack centres.

He, however, said the lack of action by relevant authorities had made them targets of illegal operators.

The Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA) said it has enrolled vulnerable groups, including hypertensive and HIV patients and inmates in correctional centres, into the state’s healthcare insurance scheme.

The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr.

Aliyu-Mukhtar said the agency had enrolled more than 6,000 vulnerable hypertensive patients across the state to help them access medications and investigations they ordinarily could not afford.

According to her, the intervention has contributed to reducing complications arising from hypertension in the state.

“We received a nationally generated report indicating that Kano State has reduced complications arising from hypertension.

“This can be attributed to the hypertensive patients we enrolled under the scheme,” she said.

The executive secretary added that more than 6,000 people living with HIV have also been enrolled in the programme.

She explained that although antiretroviral drugs were provided through donor support, beneficiaries still require healthcare support for other illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, diabetes, and hypertension.

Aliyu-Mukhtar further disclosed that the agency had concluded plans to enroll 6,000 tuberculosis patients under its vulnerable group programme.

“We realised that TB patients also need support beyond their TB medications because secondary health conditions may arise,” she said.

She also said the agency had enrolled all inmates in correctional centres across the state, describing it as the first initiative of its kind in the country.

Aliyu-Mukhtar noted that the initiative earned the Kano State Government commendation from the Controller-General of Corrections.

According to her, other states have contacted the agency to understudy the implementation model adopted by Kano State.

She said the agency remained committed to reducing out-of-pocket healthcare spending and improving access to healthcare services for vulnerable residents.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the dangers of drug use are often underestimated among young people, with many unaware of the long-term consequences of their actions.

NDLEA representative for the Kwara Command, Galleys Oyedepo said this at a seminar organised by the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) in Ilorin on Friday.

The seminar was organised in collaboration with NDLEA to sensitise secondary and tertiary school students against indulging in drug abuse.

Oyedepo expressed concern that drug and substance abuse is becoming prevalent among youth on campuses of tertiary institutions.

“Drug abuse is increasingly prevalent among young people, particularly on university campuses, where many students turn to substances in response to academic pressure, social expectations, and emotional challenges,” she said.

According to her, what begins as curiosity, peer influence, or a coping mechanism can quickly develop into dependency, trapping students in cycles of addiction.

Oyedepo identified commonly abused substances to include cannabis, codeine-based syrups, tramadol, and synthetic drugs.

She cited findings from the 2018 National Drug Use and Health Survey, which put Nigeria’s drug use prevalence at 14.4 per cent, nearly three times the global average.

The NDLEA representative noted that recent enforcement data further underscored the severity of the problem.

She further disclosed that more than 60 per cent of over 77,000 drug offenders arrested by the agency in the past five years were youths.

“Some are as young as 15, and most individuals currently undergoing treatment and counselling in NDLEA facilities are also young people.

“The trend is partly attributed to a culture that increasingly normalises drug use among youths, with many perceiving it as harmless or fashionable,” she said.

Oyedepo warned that the consequences of drug abuse include poor academic performance, mental health disorders, broken relationships, and increased exposure to crime and violence.

According to her, youth must understand that drug abuse comes with serious and lasting consequences, and that it is not a solution to stress or academic challenges.

FOMWAN Amirah, Hajia Biliqis Oladimeji, said the programme was organised under the Health Committee of the Association to educate young people on the dangers of drug abuse in the state.

Oladimeji lamented the rise in cases of drug abuse among youth in Kwara, saying the association would not fold its arms and watch the nation’s future destroyed by the menace.

She, therefore, appealed to parents and guardians to monitor their wards so that they do not fall victim to drug abuse.