Islamabad Cleft Lip and Palate Association (ICLAPA) would soon open doors to a well-equipped hospital built especially to treat Cleft Lip and Palate patients on a voluntary basis.
The association announced plans to start construction soon at the end of a day-long medical camp that it had organised. A piece of land was said to have already been acquired for this purpose.
ICLAPA is a humanitarian initiative that stands on the shoulders of volunteer doctors and social workers. The body hoped philanthropists would come forward to help complete the project in the earliest so that the medical needs of patients suffering from cleft lip and palate can be addressed.
The treatment would be provided by a team of local and foreign doctors and free of cost.
A group of dedicated doctors who treated the patients at the camp also spoke on the occasion. They pledged to continue to serve patients so that they could lead a normal life.
About thirty patients, mainly children, were examined at the camp, most of whom had travelled from far-flung areas.
Some of them would be operated during next week at a local hospital.
However, major surgeries would be conducted in the month of June by a team of Chinese and local doctors.
ICLAPA President, M Aftab and Farhat Akhtar Rehman stated, “We are providing volunteer services to the patients for the last many years.”
M. Aftab noted that his organisation had been providing free medical facilities to the poor families since 2004 with the support of families, friends and wellwishers.
Prof Farhat Akhtar also remarked that ICLAPA was a group of volunteers. It relied on donors to bring hope and happiness in the lives of people, for whom it was financially difficult to get their children treated, she added.
This noble mission was initiated by her late husband, Dr Akhtar Rehman.
Prof Dr Muhammad Azhar leads the association’s team, which comprises of Dr Zahida Ahmad; Dr Ayesha Aslam and Dr Maidah Hanif and other junior doctors.
Dr Azhar also explained the complexity of the deformity and the treatment process.
It was said that delaying treatment of the patients could lead to speech, behavioural and psychological problems; making them vulnerable.
Nearly 10,000 children are born with these deformities every year in Pakistan and an alarmingly high number of 200,000 such patients still await respite. Cleft lip occurs more frequently than the cleft palate. Boys are more commonly affected by only cleft lip or cleft lip with the cleft palate whereas girls suffer more from a cleft palate.
While causes of cleft lip and palate are still unknown, it was believed to be largely due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors or even a result of exposure to viruses and chemicals during the development of the foetus.
These deformities also result in eating and feeding problems; ear infections; loss of hearing; speech impairment; dental issues and social isolation among other issues. As planned, the ICLAPA would provide the general paediatric as well as maternal and child health care facilities at the planned hospital.
It would also offer the physical and speech therapy, needed for the rehabilitation of cleft lip and palate patients.