Josina Machel Hospital to launch cleft lip surgery campaign

Luanda – Josina Machel hospital promotes from 7 to 14 February the second phase of campaign for free cleft lip and palate repair surgery in central Bie province.

Cleft lip and cleft palate are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) or both.

The campaign takes place under the slogan “With a healthy face, confident smile, self-esteem and guaranteed social inclusion”.

The announced drive will allow to operate over 100 children and adults diagnosed with cleft lip in central Bié province and neighbouring areas.

The surgeries will be carried out at the “Dr. Walter Strangway” hospital, in Kuito city, Bié, and will involve 22 professionals, including maxillofacial surgeons and anesthesiologists.

In the first phase of the campaign, which took place in September 2022, 153 children from various parts of the country were operated on.

The medical team involved in the campaign appealed to parents with children with this disability to resort with confidence to have the surgery, to help them regain self-esteem and the will to be happy.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2013, this congenital malformation was responsible for around three thousand deaths worldwide.

Source: Angola Press News Agency