Helping women beyond the borders of Ethiopia As well as caring for the needs of Ethiopian women with obstetric fistula injuries, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia‘s surgeons take on the role of international trainers. Surgeons from many other countries apply to enter the Fistula Training Program, seeking to develop skills they can take back to their home […]...
An obstetric fistula can often be repaired with just a single operation. An operation that can take little more than 60 minutes. Sometimes the recovery is very quick, sometimes in more severe cases it takes longer. However in all cases it is life-changing. “I used to think of committing suicide, now I want to live,” […]...
The Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) Founded in 1919, the MWIA is one of the oldest professional bodies at the international level. It is as a non-governmental organisation representing female doctors from every continent around the globe. The MWIA have an important voice on all issues of interest to medical women – they initiate and support scientific projects […]...
The work of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia could not be achieved without the dedication and support of an enormous amount of people. The wonderful, loyal Ethiopian staff form the backbone of Hamlin. There are over 550 staff across various sites: the main hospital in Addis Ababa, our five regional hospitals strategically located in the provinces, Desta Mender […]...
Author: Dr Felicity Gallimore – Obstetrician and Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation volunteer. In late 2013, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia commissioned renowned maternal health researcher Dr Karen Ballard of Trinity College Dublin to develop and coordinate research about obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. Last year, Dr Ballard co-wrote an article ‘The changing face of obstetric fistula surgery in Ethiopia’ with specialist gynaecologist, […]...
Meet Zenebe Mesfin, our hospital Chaplain. Zenebe is a member of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s Rehabilitation and Reintegration team who work to help patients rebuild their confidence and return to their communities well equipped to start their lives anew. Zenebe and the team have developed a comprehensive program of patient care that they are constantly refining […]...
Dear friends, family and partners, Christmas greetings to you all from Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia headquarters here in Addis Ababa. Dr Catherine Hamlin, our Board, staff and management all wish you a happy, blessed and wonderful Christmas season and new year. With your help this year, we provided compassionate, loving and tender care to thousands of […]...
Renovations of the Dr Reginald Hamlin Operating Theatre at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital have been completed. The addition of a new operating room and instalment of a C-arm machine will give the team access to high quality, real-time digital imaging. This will significantly increase the surgery success rate for complex cases. In addition to […]...
This year, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s surgical excellence was recognised through a critical partnership established to launch a specialist fellowship program in Urogynecology. The Fellowship program is being conducted in collaboration with the Mekele University College of Health Sciences, St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College and the Worldwide Fistula Fund. A urogynecologist is a physician who […]...
The team in Australia received a vibrant letter from Dr Hamlin last week. Now 92, Catherine still lives on the grounds of the hospital in Addis Ababa. We’d like to share some of her words with you… We have just welcomed our CEO back from his visit to Australia. He came on Monday morning for […]...
One of the worst things that can happen to a woman in rural Ethiopia is to have an obstructed labour and suffer an obstetric fistula. These women become ostracised and are pushed to the edge of their society, socially isolated and often forgotten and invisible. Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia has a very clear goal – to […]...
The physical consequences of an obstetric fistula are debilitating. The treatment that patients need often goes beyond the repair of the fistula itself. Sometimes their bladder is completely destroyed and sometimes their rectum and urethra are damaged. Patients who have lived with their injuries for many years can also have extensive scarring which makes their […]...
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