Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH
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Trop. Med. Int. Health · Aug 2017
ReviewBarriers to obstetric fistula treatment in low-income countries: a systematic review.
To identify the barriers faced by women living with obstetric fistula in low-income countries that prevent them from seeking care, reaching medical centres and receiving appropriate care. ⋯ Results from the review indicate that there are many barriers to fistula treatment, which operate at the individual, community and national levels. The successful treatment of obstetric fistula may thus require targeting several barriers, including depression, stigma and shame, lack of community-based referral mechanisms, financial cost of the procedure, transportation difficulties, gender power imbalances, the availability of facilities that offer fistula repair, community reintegration and the competing priorities of political leadership.