The Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr. Opoku-Ware Ampomah, has called on the public to stop stigmatizing children born with cleft lip and palate deformities. During a recent press conference at the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre Auditorium at KBTH in Accra, Dr. Ampomah emphasized that while these conditions are treatable through reconstructive surgery, stigma often drives parents to hide or abandon their children, leading to hopelessness and low self-esteem.
As the Medical Director of Operation Smile Ghana (OSG), Dr. Ampomah highlighted the environmental factors, such as heavy metal contamination from illegal mining activities, that could increase the incidence of cleft conditions. He underscored the importance of comprehensive care, including nutrition, dental care, speech therapy, and surgery, in improving the lives of affected children.
OSG’s acting Country Manager, Mr. Henry Quist, encouraged parents to utilize the organization’s outreach services, noting that early corrective surgery, ideally before a child is six months old, is crucial for successful outcomes. Operation Smile, which operates in over 60 countries, continues to provide free cleft care services in partnership with hospitals across Ghana.