Fighting Fistula

Overview

Dr. Mohan Chandra Regmi is Nepal’s leading fistula surgeon, repairing tears in women’s bladders that can cause them to uncontrollably leak urine.

Ten years ago, the majority of fistula cases were obstetric, or caused by prolonged obstructed child birth. But today, over half of Dr Regmi’s patients come to him with a new kind of fistula. Iatrogenic fistula is caused by surgical errors. This trend is global in scale. Across South Asia, the driving force is hysterectomies and many impoverished women borrow money to fund these operations. Bad results mean not only physical and psychological trauma but also crippling debt. 

This film follows Dr Regmi as he and a team of surgeons work in Kathmandu and Dharan to assist women with fistula.

Commissioned by UNFPA