The President of the Nigerian Association for Cleft, Lip and Palate, Prof. Fadikemi Ogini, has called on Nigerians not to stigmatize or kill children with cleft, lip, and palate, adding that they can be treated and live a normal life like other human beings.
Prof. Ogini made this known on Wednesday while addressing the press during the fifth annual scientific conference held in Kano by the Association.
While speaking on the theme of the conference, “Standardizing Cleft Care in Nigeria,” she disclosed that they aim to improve the quality of life for individuals affected by cleft, lip, and palate.
“I also call on well-meaning Nigerians who have the means to support cleft care to approach the Nigerian Association of Cleft Lip and Palate and ask how they might be able to help provide care for these children.
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“Don’t kill children with cleft, lip, and palate; don’t stigmatize children with cleft, lip, and palate. Bring them out for comprehensive care, and they can live a normal life,” she stated.
According to her, part of their plan is to ensure that those affected can access standard treatment anywhere across the country.
She added, “What we hope to achieve at the end of the event is to bring every cleft, lip, and palate service provider to a point where we are able to provide quality care, comparable across the nation.
“So, being in one part of the country and I in another does not mean that we will receive different levels of care.
“We want care to be uniform, standardized, with everybody doing exactly the same thing and offering high-quality care to all patients across the nation.”
She said, “To Nigerians, I will say, those who have children born with cleft, lip, and palate, and those who see individuals with cleft, lip, and palate, should not stigmatize them because they can be cared for and can live a normal life.”
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The keynote speaker at the conference, Prof. Peter Donkor, the immediate past president of the West African College of Surgeons, explained that cleft, lip, and palate is a global issue, but Africa is particularly affected due to poverty, lack of resources, and lack of adequate manpower to deal with the issue.
“We believe that we must also change the way we care for them. We should not only focus on the surgical repair of the defects that we see,” he added.
Prof. Donkor stated, “We are here to challenge ourselves to work with organizations like Smile Train, which have been funding cleft treatment for many years, and also with our governments to take the initiative forward, provide resources for treating these children who are unfortunate enough to be born with this congenital defect.”
