Latest update July 25th, 2026 12:23 AM
GPHC local Smile Train Team performs 7 successful cleft surgeries
Cleft surgeries conducted
Kaieteur News – The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) successfully completed seven cleft surgeries between July 12 and 15, 2024.
Four of the patients underwent cleft palate repairs, while the remaining three did cleft lip repairs. Children ranging from 13 months to 12 years benefitted from cleft palate surgeries, and those from 5 months to 7 months received cleft lip repairs.
Cleft lips and palates are birth defects that happen when a baby’s lip or mouth does not form properly before birth, leaving a split or gap in the lip and/or palate. In a press release, the hospital said: “impressively, the local Smile Train team now operates independently, without the need for an international surgical team, showcasing their growing expertise and self-sufficiency.”
Successful cleft repairs were made possible through the GPHC’s plastic surgery department, in collaboration with Smile Train, an international non-profit organisation. The GPHC has been partnering with Smile Train since 2019 and in 2023 earned a certification as a Smile Train Centre.
Kaieteur News understands that the surgery to correct cleft lips is performed on patients from three months old and cleft palates surgeries are conducted on patients who are nine months and older providing that they are in good health. Two months ago, the hospital had recorded 76 patients, and as of July, the department has completed surgical corrections for 86 patients. Accessing these interventions is easy and free of cost, the hospital said in its statement.
Additionally, GPHC also offers nutritional, psychological support as well as speech therapy to all patients and their families for post-operative care at home.
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