By Francis Lahai Conteh
The Pujehun District Health Management, in collaboration with Smile Train, has launched the Nationwide Cleft Lip Awareness Campaign. The launch attracted community stakeholders, including local politicians, civil society activists, religious leaders, media and ordinary residents of the district. The occasion took place at the Pujehun District Council Hall.
Cleft lip is an opening or split in the roof of the mouth and lip. Cleft lip palate is a common birth condition, and it can occur alone or as part of a genetic condition or syndrome.
“Smile Train, which was founded in 1999, is a charity and non-profit organization that is providing corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates,” said District Medical Officer, Dr Amara Stevens Ngegbai.
Dr Ngegbai said that the aim of the non-profit making organization is to give every child, living with cleft lip, a chance to smile by providing 100% free corrective cleft surgery and comprehensive care.
“For over two decades, Smile Train has transformed the lives of more than 1.5 million children with cleft lips across 87 countries, including Sierra Leone,” Dr Ngegbai added.
He emphasized that the cause of this health complication is unknown, but added that it has been attributed to genetics and that the issue of connecting it to witchcraft, as a cause root, must be discouraged.
Musa A. Sesay, the Pujehun District Disease Surveillance officer, pointed out that smoking cigarettes, taking of herbs and drinking of alcohol, amongst several others, by women whilst pregnant are the major risk factors of the health condition.
According to Sesay, loss of weight, feeding problems, poor growth, speech difficulties and recurrent ear infection are problems attributed to cleft lips on children. He encouraged the entire district residents to help in identifying children with the cleft condition to healthcare workers for prompt intervention. The Health Committee Chairperson, at the Pujehun District Council, Councilor Mohamed Puma, lauded the effort of the District Health Management team for such awareness, stating that, prior to the engagement, there has been a lot of misinformation with regards the cleft lip health condition.
Councilor Puma encouraged his colleague councilors and other residents, in the district, to cascade the information and to help in identifying children with cleft lip health complications in their various communities.