At Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos, First Bank of Nigeria has empowered 300 women who have experienced Vesico Vaginal Festula (VVF).
These women were empowered during the launch ceremony of the Free Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) Awareness, Empowerment, and Surgery Initiative, which was conducted at Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos.
Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang of Plateau State, together with scores of his Commissioners, were there when the bank admitted another 50 VVF patients to the hospital for surgery.
The free VVF Surgery and Empowerment is funded by First Bank Nigeria Limited in Jos.
At the event, Plateau State Governor Barr. Caleb Mutfwang urged victims and survivors of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) to stay strong, tenacious and determined to overcome their difficulties. According to him, VVF is not a death sentence, and it is treatable. He also reassured them that his administration would step up and provide the assistance they require on their path to healing and recovery.
Mutfwang stated that the impact of VVF goes beyond the victim’s physical health; it causes emotional, psychological, and social stress, resulting in acute trauma and isolation.
According to him, more than 2 million women worldwide live with VVF, with Nigeria accounting for a sizable proportion of these cases.
Mutfwang stated that Plateau State has registered more than 12,000 cases in in the last twenty years at Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos.
“To effectively address this challenge, there is a pressing need for greater commitment and collaboration among organizations, philanthropists, and policymakers to provide surgeries, rehabilitation, and reintegration programs”.
He added far too often, these women have been neglected, and their plight has not received the attention it deserves from policymakers.
“This is why we welcome this noble initiative by First Bank Nigeria Limited, which aims to lift these indigent women out of their affliction.”
In his remarks, First Bank Executive Director Idris Ibrahim highlighted that the Free Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) Awareness and Empowerment is part of their 2024 Corporate Social Responsibilities and Sustainability Week, which aims to promote social and environmental growth in Nigeria.
According to him, the program was another way of giving back to society, pointing out that over one million people have benefited from this project, which intends to reinforce the government’s efforts for surgical intervention for 50 more women.
In a similar spirit, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Professor Stephen Anzaku, stated in his remarks that they aim to offer a Christ-centered institution that will take care of the mistreated in society, adding that most VVF victims are outcasts who cannot take care of themselves.