***target 50 cases
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
TY Danjuma Foundation has sponsored a free craniofacial surgery for people with tumor, noma, growth or other facial deformations, which is being done by team of doctors and volunteers from Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation (CFDF) led by Consultant Maxillofacial Surgeon, Dr. Seidu Bello.
The free craniofacial surgery exercise which is taking place at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, began on Monday, and will last for few weeks.
Executive Director, Cleft & Facial Deformity Foundation, Dr. Bello, told journalists at opening ceremony on the outreach that he was grateful to TY Danjuma Foundation for sponsoring the surgery exercise, noting that the cost of such surgeries are extremely expensive, hence most patients hardly afford the cost.
“As a result, some of them live and bear the pain and stigma of the disease for several years because of funds to support the surgery. To this end, I have to appreciate the philanthropic spirit of TY Danjuma Foundation that facilitated the free surgery.
“Our target for this round of intervention is 50 cases. Over 40 have registered and we have done 13 so far, and the operation still continues. No doubt, the situation of facial deformation is alarming in Nigeria. Besides, we have poor cancer registry and that has worsened the situation.
“Whenever we have a round of intervention, we hardly finish the cases. This is because many people have the problem but they don’t have the money to support the surgery. So, they choose to take advantage of the free medical outreach to get the surgery.
He stressed the need for the establishment of school of dentistry in UATH to assist in the training and production of dentists to serve the needs of the people.
Chief Executive Officer, TY Danjuma Foundation, Gima Forje explained that the Foundation was committed to interventions that would improve the health and education needs of the people, amongst others, enabling the poor in the society to enjoy a better life.
He said: “Part of our responsibilities is to support free medical outreaches in Nigeria so that people in poor communities can have access to quality health care. And to do that, we work with qualified and tested partners, and that’s why we support CFDF to bring these services to people who are in need.
“Without such outreaches, we won’t be able to reach out to these set of people that are down with facial deformation. Another reason is that these surgeries are quite expensive and complex, so many patients are unable to afford the cost.”
He confirmed that TY Danjuma Foundation has been supporting the project for close to 10 years, and that they are impressed with the turn out of the patients, and the number of surgeries that have been successfully done. “We have invested huge financial resources in several interventions on health and education, and we are happy at the impacts so far.”
UATH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Bissallah Ekele, in his remarks, appreciated Dr. Bello and TY Danjuma Foundation, for bringing succour, smiles and hope, to the faces of patients who, ordinarily, could not afford the surgery.
He said: “Happiness is being restored to these people who were not expecting it. And the most important part of it is that it’s free. The first credit goes to the TY Danjuma Foundation that provided the financial support.
“Secondly, to the Cleft Foundation led by Dr. Bello, that provided the surgical work. As health care facility, we offered our support by providing the space and other logistics that were needed for the success of the surgery.”