Meet Dr. Fekade
- Terrewode Women's Fund
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Leading fistula surgeon and Terrewode partner plays central role in elevating quality of care
While studying to become an OB/GYN, Dr. Fekade Ayenachew worked in a health center in Ethiopia that was not equipped for obstetric surgery. Anytime a woman experiencing prolonged or obstructed labor came in needing emergency care, he had to refer them to the nearest hospital.
Years later, during his residency in obstetrics and gynecology, he learned a pioneering approach to treating fistula holistically, a method developed by the late Dr. Catherine Hamlin.
Working to share the Hamlin Model of Care with neighboring countries, Dr. Fekade (pronounced fuh-KAH-duh) traveled to Uganda and he met Alice Emasu. As founder of TERREWODE, Alice shared her vision for a fistula hospital offering the highest quality of surgery and rehabilitative care at no cost to the women and girls who were suffering needlessly from fistula.
That vision became a reality in 2019, when Terrewode Women’s Community Hospital first opened in Soroti. Widely considered the world’s leading expert in fistula surgery, Dr. Fekade has performed several hundred surgeries at Terrewode, visiting three to four times a year to train surgeons from all across the region and around the world. He serves on the Expert Advisory Group of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Global Fistula Surgery Training Initiative.
“Terrewode’s partnership with Dr. Fekade is a tremendous asset. Every woman he treats and every doctor he trains improves the quality of care while easing Uganda’s severe shortage of qualified fistula surgeons.”
— Bonnie Ruder, PhD, MPH Terrewode Women's Fund Executive Director
Dr. Fekade considers Terrewode “an unmatched advocate and support for survivors of obstetric fistula,” a preventable injury he views as a clear indicator of a failing health system. He has played a leading role in driving steady improvements in the quality of care for fistula and other childbirth injuries in Uganda, Ethiopia, and other countries over the last two decades.
“We have achieved our goal of developing a patient-centered, specialized fistula treatment center that provides holistic, high-quality care in Uganda. We have also trained very committed doctors at Terrewode who will sustain this model and are committed to continuous, learning, improvement, and implementing best practices.”
— Dr. Fekade Ayenachew, MD FIGO Global Fistula Surgery Training Initiative
Whenever I visit the hospital — as I just did in March — I’m always impressed by the warmth Dr. Fekade brings to the care he’s dedicated his life to advancing. He has played a central role in mapping out plans to expand Terrewode Women’s Community Hospital with a Maternal Center of Excellence, equipped to deliver 1,500+ babies per year.
Stay tuned for some exciting updates we’ll share later this spring. In the meantime, thank you as always for standing with us in this life-changing work.
