In Bangladesh, more than 250,000 cleft lip patients are left without any form of treatment whatsoever. Poverty makes it impossible for most of the cleft patients to get any surgical help. Their deformed facial structure keeps them from attending schools or finding a job. These patients are unfortunately, always neglected; especially girls.
Cleft-Lip & Palate ProgramIn Bangladesh, more than 250,000 cleft lip patients are left without any form of treatment whatsoever. Poverty makes it impossible for most of the cleft patients to get any surgical help. Their deformed facial structure keeps them from attending schools or finding a job. These patients are unfortunately, always neglected; especially girls.DCH is implementing free, surgical treatments for Cleft Lip of underprivileged children of Bangladesh, in collaboration withMERCY Malaysia. The Programme was inaugurated by the Honorable Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh. DCH selects 50 poor patients from remote areas of Bangladesh for the programme. Besides free surgery, the patients and their attendantsalso provided with free medicine, food, accommodation and travel cost. DCH and MERCY Malaysia have scheduled a couple of such programmes in a year to provide health care for the low-income, underprivileged people. DCH and its well-trained surgical team in collaboration with the Malaysiansurgical teams have successfully operated on 271 patients by using the existing facilities.
Objectives of the CLIPPProject:
•To help the cleft patients who have no access to Hospitaldue to poverty
•To perform surgical procedures on Cleft Lip and Palate
•To train the local surgeons and the nursing teams
•To introduce safety mechanisms
•To provide free food and transport
•To provide free medicine and accommodation
Training Programme: MERCY Malaysia provided skill development training on “Management of Cleft Lip and Palate Patients” to follow-up with the patients. About 25 participants attended this training which included doctors, nurses and support staff. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Sukari Bin Halim and his team organised this training.
Follow-up Cleft Lip and Palate Patient: MERCY Malaysia and DCH formed a team to follow-up the Cleft Lip and Palate patients as follow-ups are essential after surgery. Should there be difficulties during the follow-up;the team manages the patients with consultation of the MERCY Malaysia Team.
