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Kudzai Chikiwa, Chronicle Reporter
TWENTY six patients are set to receive free cleft lip and plastic surgery starting today at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, with the number expected to increase during the course of the week.

Out of the 26 patients, 18 including 15 babies need cleft lip and palate surgery while eight need plastic surgery.

The operations, which will be conducted by the Freedom to Smile Foundation from the United States of America, will end on Friday.

Cleft lip and cleft palate are facial and oral malfunctions that occur very early in pregnancy while the baby is developing inside the womb.

The Head of the Surgery Department, Dr Crispin Ntoto, said patients were coming from as far as Nyanga.

“The increase in the number of patients coming for operations shows that there are many surgical needs in our population. Patients desperately need treatment but due to economic challenges they fail to access medication and when they hear of free surgeries they flock in numbers,” he said.

Dr Ntoto said an average of 25 per cent of patients need cleft lip and palate surgery.

“Our main focus is on cleft lip and palate surgery but a larger percentage of patients showing up need plastic surgery and have soft tissue problem. However, some cannot be operated on due to reasons including age. Babies who are below 3 months cannot be operated and we have since sent some back home. Some surgeries need more advanced machinery and cannot be carried out this time,” he said.

Dr Ntoto said they are facing challenges in carrying out surgeries as the hospital does not have enough anaesthesia machines (machines used to deliver oxygen and inhalation anaesthetics to patients).

One of the anaesthesiologists from USA, Dr Marjorie Sagonda, said they observed that there is a huge surgery need in Zimbabwe.

Dr Sagonda said they are taking a baby who has a bone tumour to America for a surgery.

“His condition is serious. The machinery here is not adequate to perform the surgery. We will communicate with the US embassy and get his passport and visa processed so that he undergoes surgery in the States,” she said.

Operation of Hope, a 29-year old, US/Canadian based surgical charity, is carrying out its 24th surgical mission to Zimbabwe. Since 2006, they have performed more than 5 000 free cleft surgeries for children and adults, in Zimbabwe alone.—@tamary98