A hospital worth Rs 25 million has been set up by philanthropists with the prime mission to treat cleft lip patients, mostly children, suffering from serious congenital deformities in Pakistan.
Pakistan Cleft Lip and Palate Association (PCLAPA) General Secretary Dr Ijaz Hussain highlighted that the initiative had been taken with the cooperation of philanthropists and the Japanese government.
The hospital has started functioning in Gujrat under the guidance of renowned cleft surgeon Dr Riffat Hussain.
Hussain said it would be the first permanent health institution in the country to cater the needs of cleft lip palate or nose patients on regular basis.
The hospital has been set up on 22 kanals land donated by a philanthropist Dr Ijaz Bashir with the financial support of Japanese government.
“The condition of cleft lip or cleft palate is found in one out of every 582 births in Pakistan. So roughly, there are about 30 to 35 thousand children born with either a cleft lip or a cleft palate or both every year,” Dr Riffat Hussain said.
Explaining the deformity, he highlighted that the upper lip was split on one side or both sides and it sticks out on the face for everyone to see while the nose is also deformed and causes trouble in feeding. He said children with cleft palate had a much higher incidence of ear infections which can lead to deafness.
He said the treatment though mainly surgical requires a great deal of rehabilitation though some of these facilities were available in some general hospitals in larger cities.
