Garissa hospital hosts free cleft lip, palate surgical camp

Doctors conducting a surgery on a cleft lip patient at the Garissa Level 5 Hospital. The surgeries are part of a four-day free surgical camp in Garissa.

Parents and guardians of children born with cleft lip and palate have been urged to take advantage of the four-day surgical camp at Garissa Level 5 Hospital and bring them for corrective surgery.

The free surgical camp is sponsored by Love Without a Reason, a non-governmental organisation founded to conduct surgeries for children born with cleft lip and palate.

Santhosh Mathews, the founder of Love Without a Reason, warned against discrimination and stigma towards children born with cleft lip, noting that while the condition may result from various causes, it is never because of curses or myths.

Mathews said they will conduct between 15 and 20 surgeries daily over the four days of the surgical camp at no cost to patients, and urged parents with affected children to bring them for treatment.

“Around the world, it is estimated that 1 in 700 children are born with cleft lip and palate. This means that these babies will need surgeries. Our motto is that we will work until the world is cleft-free. This is a continuous process and we will continue working,” Mathews said.

“These children are born with cleft lip because of various reasons but it is never the fault of the father and mother or the fault of the children. Children are born in the image of God and so these children should be taken care of. They are not a curse and should never be isolated but should receive education and get jobs and families,” he added.

At the same time, Mathews warned that most of the children in some countries are at risk of human trafficking, calling for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to ensure a cleft-free world.

“Children born with cleft lips are also a target of human trafficking. Some are trafficked for sex and others are trafficked to become street beggars, others into forced labour while others are trafficked for their organs because their face might be deformed but their liver, kidneys and other organs are in good condition,” he said.

Doreen Kajuju, a mother of a three-year-old boy with cleft lip, travelled from Meru to Garissa for her son to undergo surgery.

Kajuju said she has struggled to raise her son, from buying milk for him since birth to being left by her husband and facing stigmatisation from the community.

She thanked the organisation for helping her son through the surgery, noting that going forward, her child will live a normal life, play with other children and attend school.

“I have gone through many expenses because since my child was born, he has never breastfed, I have been buying milk for him. The father of the child left me too to struggle alone but I thank God for this organization. Once my boy gets this surgery, he will be okay and will be able to eat normally and play with other children,” Kajuju said.

Cleft lip and palate are birth defects that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth does not form properly during pregnancy. These conditions can vary in severity, but they can generally be treated with surgery and other interventions.

Cleft lip occurs when there is an opening or gap in the upper lip, which can extend up to the nose. It can occur on one or both sides of the lip and, in some cases, can also affect the gums and teeth.

Cleft palate is a condition in which there is an opening or gap in the roof of the mouth (the palate). This can be a small opening or extend through the entire palate. Cleft palate can affect the soft or hard palate and may also affect the nasal cavity.