World Patient Safety Day

Ending obstetric fistula, one diagnosis at a time

‘Get it right, make it safe’ is the theme of this year’s World Patient Safety Day, a global awareness day established by the World Health Organization and marked on 17 September each year.

Getting a diagnosis is the beginning, and perhaps most critical, part of a patient’s healthcare journey. It is the key to accessing treatment and a potential cure.

In rural Ethiopia, however, many women suffer in silence for years and even decades. Without nearby access to trained healthcare workers and clinics, a diagnosis is simply out of reach for many.

That’s why in 2023, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia launched an ambitious new initiative: Project Zero. We know that as many as 31,000 women are living with historical childbirth injuries, unaware that their condition can be treated and, in most cases, cured through surgery.

What is Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia’s Project Zero?

Every Project Zero team includes trained patient identification officers who go from door to door, woreda (district) to woreda, finding women who have obstetric fistula or advanced pelvic organ prolapse, and referring them to the nearest Hamlin fistula hospital for treatment.

Without this mobile diagnosis, thousands of women in Ethiopia would continue to live with pain, shame, and isolation. Project Zero Team Leader Hanna Tesfaye explains why diagnosis and treatment is so important: “If a woman is free from obstetric fistula, she’s a backbone of the family. She’s a woman. She’s a sister, a mother, and a wife. The family will be productive and future generations will be productive.”

Dr Catherine Hamlin’s vision

Dr Catherine Hamlin believed it was possible to eradicate obstetric fistula from Ethiopia. Given the progress made during her lifetime, we know she was right. Project Zero is our road map to continue Catherine’s work toward a fistula-free Ethiopia.

This World Patient Safety Day if you would like to support the Project Zero team to help finish what Dr Catherine Hamlin started, please make a donation here