Innscor Africa Limited in partnership with Global Cleft and Cranio-Facial Foundation, spearheaded a series of cleft lip operation camps that have dramatically improved the lives of many children in need Cleft lip and palate are considered one of the most common congenital abnormalities, with birth prevalence rates ranging from 1/1,000 to 2.69/1,000 births Through Innscor Africa’s health subsidiary Province Health andWellness, a total of eight camps have been conducted, offering screening, surgical intervention, and post-operative care for children affected by cleft lip and palate Children with cleft lip and palate often require comprehensive medical care, including surgical intervention, orthodontic treatment, speech therapy, and psychological support
These camps have not only provided immediate surgical care but have also raised awareness about the importance of addressing congenital conditions such as cleft lip and palate The success of this initiative highlights the critical role of partnerships between corporations, healthcare providers, and community organizations in making a significant difference in the lives of those affected Dr Tapiwanashe Kusotera from Providence Health and Wellness said, “As far as this initiative is concerned, our goal as Innscor Africa is to increase the number of surgeries that we are making available to the many desperate families across the nation of Zimbabwe in order to clear the extensive backlog.”
He added that the initial goal is to increase the scale and frequency of their operations from the current quarterly camps to potentially once every two months, in order to try and clear the national backlog Dr Paida Gurupira of Providence Health and Wellness also emphasized that the programme is a journey meant to give patients hope and comfort, as all costs will be covered by the sponsors, not the patients
“At Providence Health and Wellness, we can sponsor and truly offer these surgeries to the children free of charge.’ And when I say they are free, they are absolutely free The parents do not pay for anything We are sponsoring everything from the medication to the food that the patients will receive Most of these patients come from far-flung districts, far from Harare
So they travel to Harare Many of them don’t have relatives here, and the majority don’t have any form of income So we realized it’s one thing to simply say, ‘come, and we’ll offer you the surgery for free.’
“But we had to consider the patient as a whole They need to eat
They will need psychosocial support Many of them are babies, so they will need diapers and milk So when we intervened, it was with a holistic view of the patient, considering what that journey – that’s why I call it a journey – would entail and what they would need to make that journey as comfortable as possible,” Dr.Gurupira said The campaign commenced in June 2023 and continued in April
Innscor Africa chairman Addington Chinake said since the programme started, the partnership has scaled up its screening programmes to identify a greater number of patients and families earlier in life who are in need of cleft surgery and support “We believe in life-changing social responsibility especially when it comes to the under-privileged and less fortunate members of our communities in our own small way.:
Source: The Anchor
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Source: Theanchor
