Follow Us on Google
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Specialists in treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate under the umbrella of Nigerian Association of Cleft Lip and Palate (NACLP), have advocated for an increased financial and logistics support for the treatment of rising number of patients with facial deformation.
President of Association, Prof. Fadekemi Olufumilayo Oginni, made the appeal at the 4th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Association in Abuja, with the theme “building holistic approach to cleft lip and palate care in Nigeria: from surgery to rehabilitation and beyond”.
She said the aim of the conference was to assess the situation of cleft lip and palate services in Nigeria, and also use the opportunity to interact, share ideas and experiences, and proffer superior suggestions and solutions to areas that require improvement.
She said: “It’s a period of joy as we gather to celebrate the life of our Association in this conference, and also use the opportunity to chart a course forward in advancing comprehensive cleft care delivery for many patients and also ensure that NACLP continues to wax strong,
“As we evolve from to the days of patients receiving cleft lip repair and disappearing with their palatal defect, to more patients turning up for palate repairs, and failing to show up for necessary post-operative rehabilitation care.
“Of necessity, we need to move on with rehabilitation and assessment of our patients’ quality of life thereafter. We have also come to a point where we know it’s not all about surgery but the patients’ eventual rehabilitation.”
She also decried the dearth of qualified health workers to attend to the needs of the patients with facial deformation, thus soliciting support and opportunity to train new professionals, as well as opportunity to re-train doctors and other professionals to attend to the changing dynamics of the disease.
Prof. Oginni, however, appreciated the commitment and support of the doctors that have attended to thousands of patients with cleft lip and palate over the years, encouraging them not to relent, but continue to offer the desired services to patients within the available resources and capacity.
She informed the gathering that huge progress have been made over the years in terms of welfare of members, visibility, collaborations and international partnerships particularly with the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA).
She, thus, assured members of the Association that better days are ahead, hence they should be encouraged and be more dedicated to their duties.
The chairman of organizing committee, Dr. Seidu Bello, in his welcome remarks, appreciated the impressive participation of members of the Association from across the country.
He reminded them of the objectives of the conference, and appealed to them to freely offer their support, suggestion, opinions, and also participate in discussions that would strengthen the Association as well as the fate of the cleft lip and palate patients.
He appreciated the financial and logistics support that came from Smile Train, and several other individuals and philanthropic organizations that aided the successful planning of the conference.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Adebiyi Olufunsho, in his remarks, solicited the increased support from individuals and philanthropic organizations for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients for cleft lip and palate.
“We expect these interested people to approach this Association through the Federal Ministry of Health, for kind financial support to the patients because the cost of surgery and other care are extremely high.
“In some cases, the surgery is done free of charge to the patients, but that was because somebody somewhere must has paid for it. However, it’s not enough because more cases are being reported, and there is need to provide more opportunities and financial support for treatment of these cases,” he suggested.
He, thus appealed to pregnant women to be serious with their ante-natal care sessions, and ensure that they adhere to the advises of doctors handling their cases, so their babies can be protected from any form of cleft lip and palate, which is a congenital defect affecting children, and second only to club foot among other congenital anomalies.
PHOTO CAPTION
Some officials of NACLP with the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Adebiyi Olufunsho, in a group photograph during the conference
