Our Operation Smile team traveled to Mthatha over the weekend of 1-3 November to bring life changing surgery to cleft patients from the surrounding rural areas.
Over the two days, the team performed 8 cleft lip surgeries, 14 cleft palate surgeries and one fistula. In addition, two adult patients were fitted with dental obturators.
As always, there was a strong education and training focus, with three cleft surgeon trainees in attendance. We also welcomed guests from Wild Child Africa and Cipla Foundation.
Seven local speech therapists attended a cleft speech workshop presented by Speech Educator, Erika Bostock.
Dental Outreach programme
Simultaneous to the surgeries, Operation Smile supported a 2-day dental outreach programme at Mthatha Regional Hospital. 14 dentists from the hospital and surrounding areas volunteered their time to provide basic oral health care treatment, which is not readily available in the area, owing to a lack of consumables.
An incredible 885 patients received dental treatment (fissures, extractions, fillings, scaling, polishing) over the two days. On the Thursday prior to this, Operation Smile’s dental educator, Dr Marius van der Walt, delivered a day-long cleft dental and obturator training workshop for 18 local dentists and dental technicians at the Nelson Mandela Academic Resource Centre.
At a welcome dinner on Thursday evening, the Deputy Director General for Health for the province, Dr Xamlashe, warmly welcomed and thanked the team for helping those would otherwise not have access to cleft surgeries and care.
On Sunday, the MEC for Health, Ntando Capa, toured the dental programme, before visiting the surgical team. She thanked the team and expressed the department’s appreciation for Operation Smile and affirmed the importance of our partnership.
At the team ‘Thank You’ dinner on the final evening, the Acting CEO of the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital, Mrs Nomkhitha Mtonjana, extended her deep and sincere thanks on behalf of the hospital and the provincial department of health to the team.