The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu is inviting parents of children and adults who have cleft lips and palate problems to use the global week for Smile Train awareness and free surgery cleft and palate surgery which begins on Monday next week January 27th, 22025 at the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia.
Speaking through a senior Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon at the hospital, Dr Innocent Iwegbu, Professor Chukwu described Cleft lip and palate as one of the leading birth defects in third world countries which is caused by environment, congenital and syndromic factors particularly lack of vitamins during pregnancy, pregnant women being exposed to radiation, indiscriminate taking of drugs both prescribed and unprescribed particularly anti-malaria drugs during the first trimester.
According to him , the free cleft and palate surgery which is being done by the hospital in collaboration with Smile Train, a New York based charity organisation is for children and adults with the medical condition while the FMC Smile Train Week Awareness team shall also carryout a patient outreach within the week at Ndioro market in Ikwuano LGA and Umuosu market in Nsulu Isiala Ngwa North LGA which are close to areas where majority of the surgeries they have handled successfully came from.
He emphasized that the team will receive patients on Tuesday 28th January 2025 ahead of the surgery the following day being Wednesday 29th January.
Onyebuchi maintained that after the Smile Train Awareness Week, the team will also be available at anytime at the dental department and the pediatrics surgery department of FMC Umuahia to attend to patients who will come with clefts and palate while all processes from card, investigation, drugs and admission bed and surgery are free of charge.
