By Odinakachi Celestine
The Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) has reaffirmed its commitment to providing free cleft lip and palate surgeries as it welcomed members of the Nigerian Association of Cleft Lip and Palate (NACLP) to Rivers State for the pre-conference activities of its 7th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting.
The conference, which runs from July 1 to July 4 in Port Harcourt, is themed: “Strengthening Networks to Improve Cleft Awareness, Promote Early Detection and Streamline Referral Pathways.”
Chief Medical Director of RSUTH, Professor Chizindu Alikor, conveyed the goodwill of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara for supporting the programme and appreciated the association for choosing the hospital to host the conference and free surgical outreach.
Professor Alikor said the hospital’s Burns and Reconstructive Surgery Unit, in partnership with Smile Train, continues to provide free surgeries for children living with cleft lip and palate. He urged parents and caregivers to bring affected children for treatment, noting that awareness campaigns, including messages in indigenous Rivers languages, have been introduced to reduce stigma and encourage early presentation.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Association of Cleft Lip and Palate, Professor Ugochukwu Nnadozie, explained that cleft lip and palate is a genetic condition and not the result of witchcraft or sin. He condemned the discrimination, abandonment and killing of children born with the condition, stressing that treatment remains free through Smile Train and its partner hospitals.
Professor Nnadozie said the outreach would focus on complex cleft cases and encouraged parents to seek treatment early, noting that surgery, transportation and nutrition support are available for eligible patients at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
As part of the pre-conference activities, healthcare personnel from across the South-South region also received specialised training in orthodontics, speech therapy and nursing care for patients with cleft lip and palate.
