Cleft Lip Management Project to the rescue of children

A YOUNG mother who was given the opportunity to share her experience with the press in Accra on Tuesday narrated how her husband abandoned her and their baby when she gave birth to a baby girl with cleft lip.
Sounding emotional about the episode, the woman said her husband told her bluntly that since there was no one in his family with such a defect, he would not want to be associated with the new-born baby.
Presenting a beautiful baby girl to the press, the young woman said she was currently at peace with herself because her baby had been treated, making it possible for her to start pre-school with others of the same age .
The event was a press briefing on the operations of the Cleft Lip and Palate Management Project (CLPMP), Ghana. The project, which is located at the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre (RPSBC) at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, draws various health experts from both public and private health institutions to form a multi-disciplinary team.
Cleft lip and palate is a congenital abnormality or defect which causes a split in the lip or the roof of the mouth.
It is possible to look into the mouth of a person with the defect, even when their lips are closed.
Problems associated with the defect are: Appearance of the sufferer, social stigma, parents not naming the child, reluctance on the part of parents to send children for immunisation or to school and abandoning or even ending the lives of some children by parents.
Medical problems associated with cleft lip are: Feeding problems, repeated ear infections, speech problems, hearing problems, learning difficulties, as well as other congenital problems such as heart, skeletal and genital problems.
Health professionals have it that it is usually a shock to parents who expect a ‘perfect baby’ to come face to face with one who has cleft lip. That situation is likely to force both or most often, the man to abandon the baby.
Together with other parents at the event, the ‘abandoned mother’ expressed her gratitude to Transforming Faces World-wide (TFW), a Canadian charity founded in 1999 which supports cleft lip and palate management in developing countries, for helping in the treatment of her baby girl.
Support from TFW comes in the form of funds for medical supplies, treatment, transportation of patients and medical personnel, as well as training for local cleft specialists.
The international non-governmental organisation (NGO) which has been working in the country since 2002, has so far supported about 500 patients through surgery and a large number of patients have received multi-disciplinary services.
In addition to Ghana, the organisation has projects in Bulgaria, Peru, Argentina, India, Nepal, Ethiopia, China and Thailand.
Another story was told of little Paa Kwesi who was not given a name eight days after his birth, in conformity with Ghanaian tradition. That was because his parents could not let others look at him because of his condition. Later, he was abandoned by both parents but his grandmother who took care of him, managed to send him for treatment, with support from TFW.
Pictures of Paa Kwesi from infancy with his cleft lip to his present age of four years with no sign of the defect were shown to the press.
With such a great achievement to show, it was refreshing to hear from the Executive Director of TFW, Mr Esteban Lasso, that the organisation would extend the project in Ghana to the next three years.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) to that effect was signed at the ceremony.
He said TFW had so far offered close to 90,000 interventions on about 6,000 patients and these included reconstructive surgery, speech therapy, hearing tests and aids, breastfeeding counselling, dentistry/orthodontics, nutritional support, psychological counselling and ear, nose and throat (ENT) services.
He identified some of the challenges facing the Ghanaian health sector which also affected the management of cleft lip patients as the brain drain of local medical specialists, which he said undermined development of cleft centre.
A representative of TFW, Ghana, Mr James Hottor, said the goal of the NGO was to evolve and sustain a comprehensive cleft lip and palate management in the country, to pursue partnership for the sustenance of the project, provide assistance to poor persons with such facial defects with regard to treatment cost, travelling and accommodation while attending hospital, and also offer nutritional status improvement.
For his part, a member of the team, Dr Albert Paintsil, said the defect usually occurred within the first three months of conception where some women might not even know they were pregnant and, therefore, indulged in activities which might increase the risk factors on the baby.
These, he said, include the intake of certain drugs, alcohol, smoking, anticonvulsants, retinoic acid, steroids, some herbal concoctions, lack of folic acid and lack of vitamins.
There is also the issue of genetic factors where genetic materials are passed on from parents to children.
Dr Paintsil advised child-bearing women to be wary of what they do since it might affect their children.