The global week for Smile Train awareness and free cleft and palate surgery begins on Monday next week 27/01/2025 at the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia.
The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu who made this known to Newsmen said that the programme is being carried by the Hospital in collaboration with Smile Train, a New York based charity organisation and is for children and adults with the medical condition.
The Chief Medical Director who spoke through a senior Oral & maxillofacial surgeon at the hospital Dr. Innocent Iwegbu, disclosed that the FMC Smile Train Week Awareness team shall also carryout a patient outreach within the week at Ndioro Market in Ikwuano LGA and Umuosi market in Nsulu Isiala Ngwa North LGA which are close to areas where majority of the surgeries they have handled successfully came from.
According to him, the team will receive patients on Tuesday 28/01 ahead of the surgery the following day being Wednesday 29/01 while maintaining 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 come with clefts and palate while all processes from card, investigation, drugs and admission bed and surgery are free of charge.
He therefore called on parents of children and adults who have cleft lips and palate problems to avail themselves of the opportunity.
Prof. 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.
