A dedicated team of Operation Smile medical volunteers from across South Africa will converge at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha to conduct free surgeries on 30 people with cleft lip or cleft palates.
This is part of an ongoing partnership forged through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Operation Smile South Africa and the Eastern Cape Department of Health, last year. The life-changing screening and corrective surgeries for cleft lip or cleft palate will take place over three days, from October 20 to 23.
Statistics show that a child is born with a cleft condition every three minutes globally, making it the third most prevalent congenital anomaly. Ideally, corrective surgery should be administered within the first 18 months of a child’s life.
According to Operation Smile, without surgery, children with cleft lip or cleft palates face serious health, developmental challenges, and will likely suffer emotional abuse, and social isolation.
Last year a two-year-old girl born with a cleft lip and palate was among the 23 children and one adult who received cleft surgery. At the time of her birth, her mother was shocked and heartbroken as she did not know anything about the anomaly. The toddler and her mother will return to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital again this year for surgery to repair her cleft palate, which is critical to support her speech development.
Eastern Cape Health MEC, Nomakhosazana Meth, said that she was happy Operation Smile SA volunteers were returning to the province.
“We are grateful for the partnership with Operation Smile SA and are looking forward to having the superheroes of volunteers transform our people’s lives again. Such partnerships help improve the quality of life and address health complications,” said Meth.
Operation Smile is an international medical charity with a network of medical volunteers from more than 80 countries, dedicated to helping children born with cleft palate and other facial abnormalities.
