admin
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter
A team of 45 volunteer surgeons operating under Operation of Hope Mission will in May offer free corrective surgery for around 100 Zimbabweans with cleft lips or cleft palates, in a medical attention project worth around US$4 million.
The mission is resuming work following a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Operation of Hope is a charitable organisation which offers free surgical operations to children and adults with clefts and has been bringing in surgeons to assist in the life-changing operations for the past eight years.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth do not form properly during pregnancy.
These birth defects are commonly referred to as “orofacial clefts”.
Team leader Ms Jennifer Trubenbach said the surgeries would be conducted at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo.
“Since we could not perform surgeries in the last two years, the number of patients in need of surgery has grown significantly so we have spread our mission over four weeks to allow parents to come for screening,” she said.
“We will begin screening from May 7 and we urge all those with children with cleft lip or cleft palate to pre-register with Mpilo Hospital for this free and life changing surgery.”
Ms Trubenbach said since the number of patients in need of surgery was bound to be higher than they could take during the mission, the organisation would organise for another round of surgery to cater for those who would have failed to get a slot.
Every year, approximately 240 children are born with orofacial clefts in Zimbabwe, but due to the high costs for corrective surgery, many cannot afford it and the limited number of surgeons who can do the work makes it difficult to fit everyone in.
However, if left untreated, clefts can pose serious health challenges for the child including difficulty in feeding, ear infections and hearing loss, dental problems, speech difficulties among many others.
Zimbabwe has very few maxilla-facial surgeons who can perform these operations hence the interventions by organisations such as Operation of Hope have helped to reduce the burden of cleft conditions in the country.
Ms Trubenbach said the plan was to capacitate local surgeons, nurses and other health professionals to conduct corrective cleft surgery to ensure continuity of such operations.
“Part of our plan since 2006 is to train local surgeons here in Zimbabwe and we have made headway with training nurses and doctors and doing neo-natal programmes in hospitals,” she said. “One of our main surgeons is Zimbabwean and he was trained by Operation of Hope.
“Our plan is that one day Zimbabwe may not need us once they have capacity and we can go to another country, but in the meantime, we realise that one surgeon cannot operate on all babies so we will continue bringing in experts until we have built capacity in local personnel.
“But it will take time due to the brain drain being experienced in the health sector.”
Ms Trubenbach said taking the mission to Bulawayo would help to reduce the distance to be travelled by some patients.
The mission will be conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and local partners including Schweppes Zimbabwe limited.
“As Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited, we are delighted that the Operation of Hope is back after being stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic and it will bring smiles on someone’s face,” said Ropafadzo Gwanetsa, Schweppes Zimbabwe corporate affairs executive.
The company has been providing water and juice to keep patients and their families, volunteers and all related health personnel hydrated during the mission.
With most patients and their families travelling long distances, Schweppes also provides meals for at least 400 people on screening days.
Online Reporter