(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
DOHA: Dr Ijaz Bashir, a world-renowned Pakistani surgeon and CEO of Cleft Hospital Pakistan, Gujrat disclosed that more than 9,000 children in Pakistan are born with cleft lips or palates every year and their proper rehabilitation remains difficult in view of the non-availability of enough plastic surgeons and lack of team approach for multi-disciplinary management.
He was talking to the Pakistani Community in Qatar recently during a video presentation on Cleft Hospital Pakistan - a ‘Charitable' institution for such treatment in Pakistan. Apart from Pakistani doctors, surgeons from Britain, USA, Turkey and Ireland besides Orthodontists, Speech therapists, Audiologists and paramedics have also pooled their services on regular basis by providing ‘free of cost' Cleft Treatment and Training services in the Hospital. 'Cleft lip and palate are correctable birth defects which if left untreated can cause facial deformity, speech and feeding disorders and major psychological trauma not only for the poor patient but also for the entire family, Dr Ijaz informed.
Dr Ijaz briefed the participants that cleft surgeries are normally conducted by plastic surgeons, but there has been dearth of plastic surgeons in the country and even a single operation can change the life of a child.
He underlined the importance of timely medical intervention and said that delay in the treatment could cause irreversible damage to speech. About the causes of this deformity, he said that genetic factors were thought to play an important role. Earlier, Dr Zahid Rafiq, a prominent Anesthetist who works for Sidra Medical & Research Centre, revealed that the idea of this dedicated hospital was conceived by Dr Ijaz Bashir during 1996 and since then a surgical teams from United Kingdom visit twice yearly to Gujrat for the purpose and carry out numerous surgeries on daily basis.
The Cleft Hospital is a unique institution of its own kind where complete care for cleft patients is provided ‘free of cost' for poor patients. It has also achieved world class standards with the help of local and international surgeons from UK, USA, Turkey and Ireland, Orthodontists, Speech therapists, Audiologists and paramedics who have pooled their services to provide state of art Cleft Treatment Services and Trainings. Cleft Hospital Pakistan was awarded Global Leader Award in 2015 by Smile Train USA. So far more than 10000 children and adults have been treated by this organisation.
Mohammad Idrees Anwar, a prominent Pakistani Community Member, welcomed the distinguished guest and revealed his first meeting with Dr Ijaz Bashir in Gujrat while opening Pakistan Welfare Forum-Gujrat Chapter last year. He showered praise on Dr Ijaz and his dedicated team for their tremendous role for overcoming patients' misery as well as of their families purely on humanitarian basis thus bringing smiles and confidence on the faces of many parents.
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