One of more than 2,440 stories from the Fistula Foundation partnership at our hospital in Kabul.
Since 2009, the Fistula Foundation has partnered with our hospital in Kabul to provide free fistula repair surgery to women who have no other option. That partnership has made possible more than 2,440 surgeries, along with patient transportation, hospital infrastructure, staff support, and a landmark training workshop that brought 70 midwives from all 34 Afghan provinces together to build awareness and prevention skills. For women living with obstetric fistula, surgery is the only treatment, and it requires specialized training and experience. Our Afghan hospital team has both.
Tajgul’s story is one of those 2,440.
She had lived with obstetric fistula for more than fifteen years. Over that time, she underwent three repair surgeries at other facilities, but none provided lasting relief. When she finally came to our hospital in Kabul, the Afghan medical team conducted a comprehensive assessment and found the full picture: severe bladder complications from repeated surgeries, and a large bladder stone occupying nearly the entire bladder, making further standard repair impossible.
The team recommended a more complex path: removal of the bladder stone combined with urinary diversion surgery, a highly advanced procedure rarely performed in the region. They prepared carefully and moved forward.
The surgery was completed successfully. Tajgul’s condition improved dramatically. The daily discomfort and indignity she had carried for over a decade came to an end.
For the first time in fifteen years, Tajgul has her health back. The skill and dedication of the Afghan surgical team made that possible, and the Fistula Foundation’s enduring partnership made it free.
This work continues, day after day, at our hospital in Kabul.