Georgetown Hospital completes nine more successful cleft lip and palate surgeries

The Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) plastic surgery and maxillofacial teams accomplished a significant milestone over the last weekend when they completed their second round of independent cleft surgeries. A total of nine successful procedures were performed, including six cleft lip repairs and three cleft palate repairs.

According to a GPH press release, a continuous partnership with Smile Train, an international charity devoted to providing comprehensive cleft care, allowed for these revolutionising procedures. Last year, GPH achieved certification as a Smile Train Centre, marking four fruitful years of collaboration

According to the release, the journey with Smile Train at GPH commenced in 2019 under the expert guidance of Dr Louise LaBerge and Dr Richard Raker. Since then, Dr Rajkumar, Dr Aguila, and Dr Arturo were trained in cleft lip, cleft palate, and anaesthetic care, respectively. Over the years, the local surgical team’s expertise has grown, allowing them to take on supervisory roles. As of 2023, GPH’s surgical and anaesthetic capabilities for cleft patients are now fully conducted in-house.

Embracing the “teach a man to fish” model, the initial three trainees have become educators themselves, training new staff under their supervision. The success of this model demonstrates the sustainability and capacity-building approach employed by Smile Train and GPH, the release said.

Additionally, in 2022, GPH expanded its services to include Nutrition and Speech therapy components. The nutritionists work closely with patients to achieve feeding goals and improve overall health. Parents and caregivers of children with clefts are educated on specialised feeding techniques to navigate their unique anatomy. Following palatoplasty, speech therapy is administered to enhance the speech development of the young patients, the release said.

The ultimate goal is to correct cleft lips when the patient is at least three months old and cleft palates when they are at least nine months old, provided they are in good health.

To date, GPH - Smile Train has successfully completed surgical corrections for 71 patients, including 41 primary unilateral cleft lip repairs, eight primary bilateral lip repairs, 39 cleft palate repairs, six oronasal fistula repairs, and one alveolar bone grafting, the release said.