By: Rachel Kakraba
Acting Country Manager of Operation Smile, Henry Quist, has encouraged parents, especially mothers with children with cleft lip and palate condition to seek immediate medical intervention after birth. He said although surgery cannot be carried out within the first six months, it provides relevant health intervention which prepares them for successful surgery within the first year of life.
“Immediately a child is born with this condition, the mother should try and get in touch with us. When the child is under six months, you can’t have surgery, but within that first six months, the child will be given all the nutritional needs supplements that he or she needs to feed to feed on. So that if you do it very well, within six months, your blood pressure, all the necessary vitals within your body will be set for you to undergo the surgery.
Mr. Quist was speaking to GBCNEWS at the launch of the maiden Cleft Awareness week in Accra. The awareness campaign will, among others, demystify myths and stigmatization patients with the condition suffer. The commemoration heralds an Operation Smile Outreach, which will take place at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital next month.
Mr. Quist said Operation Smile provides comprehensive care, covering all costs including transportation, accommodation and surgery and ensuring no financial burden on parents.
“over the years we have offered free services, when I say free, pre-dental, pre surgery for our children and some adults born with cleft palate”
Mr. Quist, said Operation Smile prioritizes highest medical standards thereby investing in capacity building of the working team for best health outcomes.
“With the help of Korlebu, we are building the capacity of the doctors and the medical team in Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ho Teaching Hospital, Tamale Hospital and Eastern Regional Hospital so that when a child is born in Tamale, with that condition, the hospital will just inform us that a child has been born”
CEO of Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, and Medical Director Operation Smile, Dr. Opoku-Ware Ampomah, said health facilities nationwide would be equipped with necessary logistics and human resources to improve patients care. Some success stories of parents whose children have been beneficiaries of the lifesaving surgery were shared at the launch.
