Diamond Bank has demonstrated its commitment to the total health and wellbeing of women in Nigeria by sponsoring medical surgeries for 15 young women suffering from Vesico Vagina Fistula (VVF). The Bank has also concluded arrangement to donate medical equipment to selected fistula centres across the country.
VVF are holes found in women resulting from the breakdown in the tissue between the vaginal wall and the bladder or rectum caused by unrelieved obstructed labour. The consequences of such damage are urinary or faecal incontinence and related conditions; and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the condition is “the single most dramatic aftermath of neglected childbirth." A 2008 research by NDHS show that Nigeria has the highest prevalence of VVF in the world with approximately 400,000–800,000 women living with the condition in the country and about 20,000 new cases occurring annually, with 90 percent of these going untreated.
In a press release by the Bank, Ayona Trimnell, Head, Corporate Communications said that one of the core components of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is the high premium placed on the health of women and the quest to see that as many as could be helped are captured in the scheme. According to her, the initiative by Diamond Bank to elevate the health of women was borne out of the need to reduce maternal mortality rate in the country by eliminating this avoidable medical condition known as Vesico Vagina Fistula (VVF) which has compromised the lives and marital destinies of thousands of young ladies over the years. The initiative also sensitizes women ensuring that they are not just only aware of and internalize quality health habits, but that they are also able to make better informed choices concerning their health and that of their partners. The Bank is partnering with Extended Hands Charity, a non-governmental organization.
According to Trimnell, “the initiative commences this October and involves helping the women and young girls particularly in Ilorin, Kwara State”.
Commenting further, Trimnell said, that the focus of Diamond Bank especially in women’s health and wellbeing, involves the provision of basic health care services to women in rural areas and empowering them economically in the area of agriculture and trading.
“This unique approach will not only ensure that women are able to make better informed choices concerning their wellbeing but will also ensure that they have the economic power to improve their living standards.’’
