A Pioneer Fistula Surgeon Dr. Hamlin Dies at 96

Addis Ababa, March 19/2020 (ENA) The altruistic and world-renowned gynecologist, Dr. Catherine Hamlin, died at the age of 96 on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Dr. Hamlin, for her unceasing efforts in saving the lives of Ethiopian women, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, and again in 2014.

The Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia charity was created in 2012 at the request of the Australian doctor to raise funds for a number of medical centers, including her hospital.

Dr. Hamlin and her late husband Dr. Reg Hamlin, established treatment centers for women suffering from the debilitating effects of obstetric fistula, a crippling condition that results from complications in childbirth.

Over the past 61 years, more than 60,000 Ethiopian women have received the life-changing reconstructive surgery for obstetric fistula, thanks to the Hamlin’s’ dedication.

“When I die, this place will go on for many, many years until we have eradicated fistula altogether -until every woman in Ethiopia is assured of a safe delivery and a live baby,” she once expressed her confident that her legacy would live on.

Her selfless devotion to maternal and infant healthcare will always be in the mind of Ethiopians.

Today, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia is a healthcare network of over 550 Ethiopian staff servicing six hospitals, including the Desta Mender rehabilitation center, the Hamlin College of Midwives and 80 Hamlin supported midwifery clinics.

In Australia, the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation will continue fundraising and supporting them to ensure Dr. Hamlin’s work with fistula injury will continue until it has been eradicated from Ethiopia.