Global Women's Voices: Share Personal Stories

Igabelle Dr, Kosovo

Submitted by: Veprore Shehu

The lack of health education, lack of health institutions especially in gynecological care, the deep economical crisis, the big level of unemployment, the low level of education, patriarchal mentality which increases the taboo of using gynecological services, made the birth deliveries become one of the highest in Europe but also the infant mortality stay on the same level.

Lack of gynecologists, especially female gynecologists has burdened even more the taboo of such visits. This has produced a big number of birth deliveries and spontaneous abortions take place without professional assistance by damaging health and on the other side also deepening further the economic crisis in the family and society.

Precisely, inability of the family planning and in this context the decreased possibilities of having artificial abortions has brought women into the situation to go through unplanned pregnancies while having severe health problems.
For example, in our country it is almost common to have seccio caesarian for the fourth or even fifth time in spite of being aware of the risks from such interventions.

The practical work Medica Kosova carries in the field with women in the villages has proven that the health situation is really more than difficult and many times accompanied with hard psychosomatic symptoms.Illnesses start from banal infections up to most serious carcinogenic situation.

Can you imagine a woman born in 1957 who had out of 18 pregnancies, 11 deliveries and 7 spontaneous abortions in a village near Gjakova? She came in our center a couple of months ago and after the examination the situation with her cervix, uterus, stomach muscles, and her urine genital system looked terrible. And let us not speak about her general condition cahectic anemic, hippotensive, hemorrhagic, her veins. When we add her feeling of helpless for making a choice on her family planning, the nightmares, feeling guilty for not being able to fulfill elementary needs of her children makes this client suffer also from severe psychosomatic symptoms.

updated: 7/2/2004