Family Day Set For Kids With Cleft Lip, Palate Deformity

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Department of Maxillo Facial and Facial Plastic Surgery will be organising the first family day for parents with children born with cleft lip and palate deformities, a press release stated.

The treatment of this deformity requires a multidisciplinary team.

The Ministry of Health in its endeavour to provide quality services for the citizens of Brunei has given high priority in providing improved care for these special children.

The team, which provides the services to rehabilitate these children, consists of Facial Plastic/Maxillo Facial surgeon, ENT surgeons, Speech Therapists, Orthodontists, Dentists specialising in children dentistry and audiologists.

The family day is being organised to create awareness to parents that this deformity requires several stages of correction.

During the family day, specialists will brief parents on the stages of treatment. Parental cooperation is the key to success.

The outcome of a good palate repair is speech and the outcome of a good lip repair is an appearance that gives no stigma to the child. For good speech, the parents have to cooperate in encouraging speech at home.

The Ministry of Health at RIPAS Hospital has a dedicated team headed by Dr N Ravindranathan and the Department of Maxillo Facial and Facial Plastic Surgery conducts clinics in all four districts.

The Government of Brunei provides free treatment to all the subjects of His Majesty. In many countries, such services have to he paid for by the parents and in many rural areas of poor countries children do not have the deformities repaired. Hence they remain as "cripples" in society as far as appearance and speech is concerned.

A 12-year-old child from the Philippines who has never had her palate repaired will come to Brunei in conjunction with the family day to obtain treatment from the Brunei Cleft Lip and Palate Centre at RIPAS Hospital.

This is made possible through the kind sponsorship of Royal Brunei Airlines and assisted by the Philippines Embassy. The child will be accompanied by the mother.

The family day will be declared open by Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji AwgAbu Bakar bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Health.

Dr Haji Affendy, Director General of Medical Services, said that he is fully committed to enhancing the cleft lip and palate deformity services to greater heights and hopes that patients from neighbouring states would make use of the excellent services as well.

He added that encouragement would be given to evolve speech therapists with an interest in speech rehabilitation of cleft lip and palate deformities for the future. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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