Some Nigerians have expressed appreciation to a team of medical experts conducting a week-long free surgical outreach to correct cleft and facial deformities among underserved patients.
The patients, including two-month-old babies who had already undergone surgery, described the gesture by the Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation, in collaboration with the TY Danjuma Foundation, as restoring their dignity and confidence, and as offering them a chance at a normal life.
In a presentation, the Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation, led by Dr Seidu Bello said it had carried out over 2,000 successful craniofacial surgeries across Nigeria through 30 outreach programmes over the past 15 years.
Dr Bello said “the 30th edition would run for one week at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital in Calabar, Cross River State, providing free craniofacial surgeries for underserved patients.”
According to him, “the aim is to provide care that would help vulnerable patients have confidence in themselves once again; and beyond physical healing, the surgeries would address deep social and psychological challenges.”
He said, “Many patients with facial deformities face stigma, isolation and limited access to specialised care. Cleft conditions, on a global scale, occur about one in every 300 births in the United States, one out of 700 in Europe and Asia and one in every 2,500 births across Africa.”
Need for Craniofacial Centre
The surgeon urged government, corporate organisations and wealthy individuals to invest in establishing a well-equipped specialised craniofacial hospital in Nigeria, describing it as critical to expanding access to advanced care.
Dr Bello stated that, “This needs funding and a specialised centre where comprehensive treatment can be provided. We are appealing to the Nigerian Government and well-meaning individuals to support the initiative.”
He noted that such a facility would handle complex procedures, including facial reconstruction and microvascular surgeries, and serve as a hub for training and research.
“Currently, we have maxillofacial units across the country, but no dedicated craniofacial facility. However, when we have a specialised treatment centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital with one across each geopolitical zone, access and care should improve,” Dr Bello explained.
In a message of appreciation, the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr Egbe Ayuk, commended the initiative, saying “health challenges require collective action.”
Achieving Universal Health Coverage
The Programme Officer for Health at the TY Danjuma Foundation, Dr Mrs Eucheria Abua, commended the medical team for its consistency and dedication to providing “the much-needed relief to patients, who had long been in dire need of care.”
Professor Alice Asim described the intervention as ‘life transforming, a journey of love, a journey of humanity especially for those, who cannot afford surgery.’
She said; “It is also a call on wealthy individuals to support healthcare services for the underserved as birthday celebrations.”
