The Government of Anambra State through the Wife of the Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo, in partnership with Smile Train is set to provide free surgeries for children with Cleft Deformities in the state.
Children with cleft deformities in Anambra State will now have the chance of getting free corrective surgeries courtesy of a partnership between the state government and Smile-Train foundation.
The partnership was concluded when the representatives of Smile Train paid a courtesy visit to the wife of the governor, Dr.Nonye Soludo at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia,Awka the state capital.![]()
Dr. Mrs. Soludo commended Smile-Train for taking the responsibility of giving children a new life, promising that she would be fully involved in both advocacy and mobilization to ensure that the programme succeeds across the state.
The governor’s wife reiterated her commitment to healthy living and explained that with the programme, children with cleft deformities in the state would be freed from stigma and given the full confidence to reach their dreams.
Earlier, the State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Afam Ben Obidike,said that the structure for both treatment and advocacy will incorporate the three hundred and twenty six Primary Healthcare Centres in the State, with final reference to Secondary Health facilities where the surgical procedures would be arranged to work effectively.
Dr. Obidike assured that the ground is fully ready for the new health intervention, noting that the governor’s wife shares deep passion in issues that affect women and children.
The Smile Train Director in Anambra, Professor Titus Chukwuanukwu, said that the programme started in Anambra State in April 2009 at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, with the incorporation of another health facility in 2014, both of which have offered over 500 cleft surgeries and now offer comprehensive cleft care-surgery, nutrition and speech therapy.
He said that the visit was to brief the governor’s wife on the activities of the organization as well as to ask for her involvement in advocacy and mobilization, to avert the difficulties that patients with cleft problems face in today’s society. With this new partnership, Mrs. Soludo becomes the Smile Train ambassador in the State.
Smile-Train is a globally-recognized non-profit organization that has sponsored free corrective surgeries for thousands of children with cleft lips and palates.
Headed by Susannah Schaefer, with headquarters in New York, United States of America, Smile Train was founded in 1999 and has grown into the world’s leading cleft charity, helping more than 1,500,000 children with cleft problems.
The foundation has trained thousands of medical professionals in over ninety countries and established hundreds of programmes in low and middle income countries.
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