Sayeba Akhter

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Sayeba Akther
সায়েবা আক্তার
Born1953 (age 70–71)
Alma mater Chittagong Medical College
Known for Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Awards Ekushey Padak (2020)
Anannya Top Ten Awards
Mother Teresa Awards
Scientific career
Institutions Dhaka Medical College and Hospital

Sayeba Akhter (born 1953) is a Bangladeshi physician who has dedicated her career to eliminating obstetric fistula. She is an executive member of the International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons and has previously served as the president of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society of Bangladesh. She leads two charities, in Dhaka and Gaibandha, which focus on the education of underprivileged girls.

Contents

In recognition of her contribution in medicine, the government of Bangladesh awarded her the country's second highest civilian award Ekushey Padak in 2020. [1]

Early life and education

Akhter was born to M A Malek and Mahmuda Khatun in Chittagong. She has said that she was inspired to help young mothers by the devotion of the doctors she met during her medical training. [2] Akhter earned her medical degree at Chittagong Medical College. [3] [4]

Research and career

She served as head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. [4] In 2000, Akhter created a low-cost uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) from a catheter and a condom. [5] [6] At the time she created the UBT, around 40% of maternal deaths in Bangladesh occurred due to postpartum haemorrhage. [7] She created the UBT to prevent bleeding after childbirth and the total cost is less than $5. [7] [8] Her device has made a considerable impact on women's health worldwide, saving mothers from suffering postpartum bleeding. [7] [9] The approach became known as Saeyba's Method, and has been taught to doctors and midwives in developing countries. [2] [10] [11]

Obstetric fistula is common in Bangladesh because of the number of child brides who are not physically prepared for childbirth. [12] Alongside being physically unprepared, young women suffer from social stigma when asking for help, and there is a shortage of doctors trained to handle the condition. [12] In 2005 Akhter opened a national centre at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where she trained doctors to repair fistula. [13] She established the centre in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund Campaign to End Fistula after studying the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. [13] The programme started with one month of training and was funded by the Islamic Development Bank. [13] Between 2005 and 2011 the centre treated almost four hundred patients, and taught the patients income generating activities so that they could become more independent once they left hospital. [14] In 2009, she was fired from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. [15] MAMM's Institute of Fistula and Women's Health (MIFWOH), was formally established by Akhter in 2012. [16]

In 2008 she was elected president of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society of Bangladesh. [17] [18] She has been involved with the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) since then, serving on the Committee for Genital Trauma. Together they developed the Fistula Surgery Training Initiative and FIGO Global Competency-Based Fistula Surgery Training Manual. [19] A shortage of specialist surgeons means that only one in every fifty women has access to a trained surgeon. [2] Alongside increasing the capacity of Bangladesh's doctors and surgeons, Akhter has worked with the government of Bangladesh on reducing the prevalence of obstetric fistula in Bangladesh. In 2017 the government of Bangladesh raised the legal age of marriage, meaning that women had to be over eighteen. [14] In 2019 it was announced that Akhter and FIGO had trained over 50 surgeons who had provided over 7,500 repair operations in Africa and Asia. [20] [21]

Recently Akhter has worked with Rohingya people who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. [22] Rohingya women and girls have limited access to hygiene, family planning and maternal health. [22] She currently serves as an obstetrics specialist and surgeon at Popular Diagnostic Center, Dhanmondi. [23]

Awards and honours

Akhter has won several awards and honours, including the Anannya Top Ten Awards, Women Super Achiever Award, Mother Teresa Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award. [24] She holds an honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Indian College of Maternal and Child Health, the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan and the Indian Academy of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. [25] [26] [27] [28] The government of Bangladesh awarded her the country's second highest civilian award Ekushey Padak in 2020. [1]

Related Research Articles

Obstetrics and gynaecology is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics and gynaecology. The specialization is an important part of care for women's health.

Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgical field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obstetric fistula</span> Hole that develops in the birth canal as a result of childbirth

Obstetric fistula is a medical condition in which a hole develops in the birth canal as a result of childbirth. This can be between the vagina and rectum, ureter, or bladder. It can result in incontinence of urine or feces. Complications may include depression, infertility, and social isolation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhaka Medical College and Hospital</span> Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the largest and most reputed medical college and hospital of the country. The hospital ranks among top 20 worldwide, based on size and number of patients. Established on 10 July 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics</span> Professional medical organization

The International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, usually just FIGO ("fee'go") as the acronym of its French name Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique, is a worldwide non-governmental organisation representing obstetricians and gynaecologists in over one hundred territories. It was founded on 26 July 1954 in Geneva, Switzerland, to "promote the well-being of women and to raise the standard of practice in obstetrics and gynaecology". Membership is currently composed of 132 professional societies of obstetricians and gynaecologists worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fistula Foundation</span> American maternal health organization

Fistula Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization focused on treatment of obstetric fistula, funding more repair surgeries than any other organization, public or private. As of September 2024, Fistula Foundation supports hospital and doctors in more than 30 countries across Africa and Asia. The foundation is dedicated to treating obstetric fistula by covering the full cost of fistula repair surgery for poor women who would otherwise not be able to access treatment. They also provide fistula surgeon training, equipment and facility upgrades that make fistula treatment as safe as possible, post-surgery counseling and support for healed patients. The foundation has been recognized by several organizations for its transparency, effectiveness and efficiency, earning a top "A" rating from CharityWatch and a four star rating from Charity Navigator for 16 years in a row, placing it in the top 1% of charities reviewed on the site. In 2023, the foundation received a $15 million gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, announced alongside a new five-year strategic plan that will advance the foundation's In It to End It vision. The foundation has also been selected as one of 22 charities recommended by Princeton Professor Peter Singer's organization, The Life You Can Save. The organization's cost-effectiveness was also noted by GiveWell in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists</span> Professional organization in Australia and New Zealand

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the establishment of high standards of practice in obstetrics and gynaecology and women’s health. The College has a strong focus on women's health advocacy and trains and accredits doctors throughout Australia and New Zealand in the specialties of obstetrics and gynaecology. Its head office is in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1998, with the amalgamation of the Australian and New Zealand organisations.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) is a national medical society in Canada, representing over 4,000 obstetricians/gynaecologists, family physicians, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals in the field of sexual reproductive health.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to obstetrics:

Shershah Syed is a Pakistani physician and surgeon, known for his work in obstetrics and maternal health. He was involved in providing emergency medical assistance to victims of the 2010 Pakistan floods. He was the president of the Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists of Pakistan from 2007 to 2010, He is the current president of the International Society of Fistula Surgeons (ISOFS) and also the Pakistan National Forum on Women's Health (PNFWH).

Doris Clifton Gordon was a New Zealand doctor, obstetrician, university lecturer and women's health reformer. She was known as 'Dr Doris', famous for her work in rural general practice, for raising the status of obstetrics, improving obstetrics education of medical students and doctors, and working for the welfare of mothers and children.

The Bakri balloon is a medical device invented and designed by Dr. Younes Bakri in 1999.

Jerusha Jacob Jhirad FRCOG, MBE was an Indian physician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dossibai Patell</span> Indian obstetrician and gynaecologist

Dossibai Rustomji Cowasji Patell MBE, MRCP, later known as Dossibai Jehangir Ratenshaw Dadabhoy, was an Indian obstetrician and gynaecologist, who in 1910 became the first woman to become a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maura Lynch</span> Irish Doctor and Catholic Nun

Sr. Dr. Maura Lynch was an Irish doctor, a nun, and proponent of women's health.

Uterine balloon tamponade (UBT) is a non-surgical method of treating refractory postpartum hemorrhage. Once postpartum hemorrhage has been identified and medical management given, UBT may be employed to tamponade uterine bleeding without the need to pursue operative intervention. Numerous studies have supported the efficacy of UBT as a means of managing refractory postpartum hemorrhage. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend UBT as second-line treatment for severe postpartum hemorrhage.

Duru Shah is a Mumbai-based gynaecologist academic and women activist. She is the Founder President of the PCOS Society, India and a promoter of adolescent girls and women's health and infertility in India. Shah is also the promoter of Metropolis Healthcare Ltd. She is also a Consultant ObGyn.: Breach Candy Hospital, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai.

Bosede Bukola Afolabi is a UK-born Nigerian Gynaecologist, Professor, and Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. She is the founder and chairperson of the Maternal and Reproductive Health Research Collective (MRHRC), a research and training NGO. She is also the Director at the Centre for Clinical Trials, Research and Implementation Science (CCTRIS).

Anne-Beatrice Kihara is a Kenyan physician and professor who is President of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. She has dedicated her career to improving the physical health of women across Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hadiza Galadanci</span> Nigerian professor of gynaecology and obstetrics, from Bayero University Kano

Hadiza Galadanci is a Nigerian Professor of Obstetrics and gynaecology at Bayero University, Kano, and an advocate for maternal health in Nigeria. She is the Director of the Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy, a World Bank-supported initiative aimed at advancing healthcare research and policy in Africa. Known for her pioneering contributions, she is the first female obstetrician and professor trained in Kano State.

References

  1. 1 2 "20 individuals, one organisation to receive Ekushey Padak 2020". The Daily Star. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Ending obstetric fistula". FIGO. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  3. ↑ "Bangladesh: Fistula Surgery Camp Offers Treatment And Training". Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD). 2008-06-25. Archived from the original on 2019-10-06. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  4. 1 2 কেনিয়া নয়, প্রসূতির রক্তপাত বন্ধের পদ্ধতির আবিষ্কারক বাংলাদেশ. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  5. ↑ Vanderbilt, Tom (2019-02-04). ""Reverse Innovation" Could Save Lives. Why Aren't We Embracing It?". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  6. ↑ Akhter, Sayeba; Begum, Mosammat Rashida; Kabir, Zakia; Rashid, Maliha; Laila, Tarafder Runa; Zabeen, Fahmida (2003-09-11). "Use of a condom to control massive postpartum hemorrhage". MedGenMed: Medscape General Medicine. 5 (3): 38. ISSN   1531-0132. PMID   14600674.
  7. 1 2 3 "Bangladeshi doctor's invention saving millions of mothers". Daily Sun. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  8. ↑ "Intrauterine Balloon Tamponade". GO MOMS. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  9. ↑ "Powerful stories of women that inspire". Dhaka Tribune. 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  10. ↑ Jabbar, Abdul. "Modern method can reduce maternal mortality". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  11. ↑ "The Adventures of Supergirls Vol. 2 and Her Stories App launched at DLF". The New Nation. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  12. 1 2 "Fistula Afflicts Child Brides in Bangladesh". BenarNews. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  13. 1 2 3 "Fistula Repair Facility Brings Hope to the Outcast". unfpa.org. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  14. 1 2 "Vesicovaginal fistulae in Bangladesh". Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  15. ↑ "11 doctors dismissed". The Daily Star. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  16. ↑ "MAMM's Institute of Fistula and Women's Health". mifwoh.org. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  17. ↑ "PMNCH | Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh". WHO. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  18. ↑ "FIGO Constituent Societies May 2010". International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. 109 (2): 171–179. 2010. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.03.002. ISSN   1879-3479. S2CID   221809250.
  19. ↑ "Global Competency-Based Fistula Surgery Training Manual" (PDF). FIGO. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  20. ↑ "More surgeons for a fistula-free world". FIGO. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  21. ↑ Method of Bangladeshi physian Sayeba is saving hundreds of thousands lives throughout the world , retrieved 2019-10-06
  22. 1 2 "Dressing wounds and restoring dignity". FIGO. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  23. ↑ "Prof. Dr. Sayeba Akhter". Where's My Doctor?. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  24. ↑ "Sayeba Akhter". FIGO 2018 | World Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics. 2018-05-21. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  25. ↑ "International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons". ISOFS. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  26. ↑ "Emirates Obs & Gyne Congress". Emirates Obs & Gyne Congress. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  27. ↑ "Faculty". AICC RCOG 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  28. ↑ "Members' Admission Ceremony:25 November 2011" (PDF). RCOG. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
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