Namibia: Free Cleft Lip Corrective Surgery

Windhoek — The Ministry of Health and Social Services will this week provide free corrective surgery to children and adults born with cleft lips or cleft palates.
These surgical procedures will be performed in partnership with Operation Smile South Africa (OSSA) and the NamPharm Foundation.
The team will start its mission today and carry on until Saturday (15 April).
A Cleft lip (cheiloschisis) and cleft palate (palatoschisis), which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate, are variations of a type of clefting congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation.
A cleft is a fissure or opening - a gap in the lip, and cleft palate is a hole in the roof of the mouth.
One in ten children with clefts do not survive until their first birthdays, because they struggle to feed.
Operation Smile's Programme Coordinator for Southern Africa, Nici Meyer told this reporter that all patients with cleft lips and cleft palates would be considered for the operations that will take place at the Windhoek Central hospital.

However, a medical assessment would be conducted on all patients to assess if they are fit and healthy for surgery.
"We are hoping to carry out about fifty surgeries," she said.
Although it is hoped that fifty patients would undergo surgery, she explained that the number would depend on the number of patients with cleft lips and cleft palates.
Cleft lips, she said, are less time-consuming to operate on, while cleft palates take much longer. Should there be more patients with cleft lips and cleft palates the number of patients to undergo surgery is likely to increase, Meyer explained.

If chosen for surgery, patients will have to remain through surgery week and the post-operative assessment, reads a press release issued by OSSA.
Patients are being advised to bring along clothes for the duration of the medical mission. "Only one family member or guardian can accompany the patient," the press release reads.

Operation Smile is a global non-profit, volunteer medical services organisation that provides free reconstructive surgery to children and adults with cleft lips and cleft palates in over 60 countries worldwide.
To date, the organisation has offered over 200 000 life-changing procedures around the world. Most children who have their clefts repaired early enough are able to have a happy youth and social life.

Also, having a cleft palate/lip does not inevitably lead to a psychosocial problem. However, adolescents with cleft palate/lip are at an elevated risk for developing psychosocial problems especially those relating to self-concept, peer relationships and appearance.