Cleft lip and palate
I had very little idea about cleft lip and palate. One day, my mother informed me that in Dhaka Community Hospital, where she works as a Gynecologist, a team from Australia comes to treat people with cleft lip and palate. Then she explains briefly about cleft lip and palate. Cleft lip is a condition in which somebody is borne with the upper lip split. But cleft palate is more severe and painful. It is the same condition but the person is borne with the roof of the mouth split, making them unable to speak clearly. Then, she told me that it is one of the important cases in Bangladesh and I went to the hospital to see it.
On the ground floor of the hospital, I saw the Australian team with pictures on the notice board. The name is 'Aussie Bangla Smile Team' and they have flown from Australia to form smile in Bangladeshi's face. The team includes:
1) Steven Arthur Cooper- Doctor Anesthetist
2)Barbara Maureen Hitchell- Registered nurse/ Midwife
3) Frances Margaret- Registered nurse
4) Judith Barlow- Registered nurse
5) Fadia Khalic- Registered nurse
6) Angela Brady- Anesthetic nurse
7) Dr. Hasan Sarwar- Surgeon
They, along with some other local surgeon, started fixing the patients with cleft lip and palate from 16th October to 20th October. They have selected about 50 patients from different place to operate free of cost based on need and financial condition.
Then my mother took me on the operating floor where I saw two cleft lip patients waiting for their operation and later a boy with cleft palate. It was really unspeakable to observe the patients. Their guardians informed me that their children's cleft lip and palate is from their birth but later on a doctor added that it can also occur from infection and burning. One man was telling that there are many people who have cleft lip and palate but they are embarrassed to reveal their face in front of the society and sometimes they are offended for this disease. For my mother, I was privileged to visit the operation theatre (O.T) and Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Barua guided me. The team handles three operations patients simultaneously. I witnessed them undergoing critical surgery and handling everything very cautiously. In an operation, I saw a surgeon sewing the cleaved lip of a patient.
Before leaving the O.T, I thanked Dr. Barua and those involved in surgery for providing me with such a wonderful experience. Then my mother beckoned me upstairs where I met all the patients who have come from the O.T. to recover. Everyone has a bulging lip due to the effect of local anesthesia and a firm stitch. The guardians were smiling and thanked Dhaka Community Hospital for taking such initiatives. It seemed that they have got their lost life back.
This was a very successful campaign by the whole team. More than fifty individuals have been benefited and I thank all of them for their strong effort. Around three hundred thousand people are suffering from this disease; so the government must raise funds in order to finance such operations, especially for the poor, as it is very expensive. Likewise, newspapers and television channels would also need to come forward and inform people more about this disease.
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