Peter Olaitan, Professor of Burns and Plastic Surgery at Osun University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, has urged African governments to end their dependence on foreign aid and temporary surgical missions for cleft care and develop sustainable, locally led systems capable of providing comprehensive treatment to children born with cleft lip and palate.
Olaitan, former Chief Medical Director of Osun University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, made the call while delivering the Presidential Lecture, “Cleft Care in Africa: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, at the inauguration of the Joint Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (NAPRAS) and the Nigerian Burn Injury Society (NBIS) in Ibadan.
He said cleft lip and palate remained important congenital conditions with serious medical and social consequences, including feeding difficulties, speech and hearing problems, facial deformities, stigma, psychological trauma and social exclusion.
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According to him, children and families affected by cleft lip diseases in many parts of Africa still face poverty, inadequate awareness, limited access to specialized services, poor health infrastructure and high out-of-pocket costs for treatment.
He also identified cultural misconceptions as a major obstacle to treatment, noting that some communities continue to associate cleft conditions with witchcraft, curses, divine punishment, maternal behavior or other supernatural causes.
Olaitan recalled that his first patient as a consultant was an abandoned child found behind the residence of a local government chairman in Iwo, Osun State, describing the experience as a clear example of the devastating impact of stigma and ignorance.
The surgeon attributed the transformation of cleft care in Africa to greater collaboration between local specialists and international organisations, particularly after the first Pan-African Cleft Lip and Palate Congress held in Ibadan in 2006.
He said that the interventions of organizations such as Tren Sonrisa and Operación Sonrisa have helped expand surgical services, train specialists, improve facilities and introduce comprehensive care that involves surgery, nutrition, speech therapy, orthodontics, psychological support and patient monitoring.
Olaitan said Nigeria had recorded remarkable progress, going from just 149 cleft operations documented up to 2007 to more than 48,000 patients sponsored through Smile Train programs by July 2026.
However, he warned that progress could be threatened if African countries fail to develop sustainable systems capable of surviving the withdrawal of international donors.
He therefore challenged governments to incorporate cleft treatment into national and state health insurance plans, highlighting that coverage should include surgery, orthodontics, speech therapy, nutritional support and dental care.
He also called for the establishment of centers dedicated to the treatment, research, documentation and training of clefts, as well as investment in modern equipment and specialized labor.
Olaitan advocated for closer collaboration between plastic surgeons, dentists, orthodontists, speech therapists, geneticists, nurses and other health professionals, and said comprehensive cleft care required a multidisciplinary approach.
Furthermore, it urged governments and professional bodies to intensify public awareness campaigns to eliminate misconceptions and stigma, promote early presentation and improve access to specialist services.
The professor said Africa must move from temporary surgical missions to sustainable, African-led comprehensive care, warning that the continent could not afford to lose the progress made over the past two decades.
Olaitan said ensuring that every child born with a cleft lip and palate could “survive, speak, hear, smile and thrive” was not only an ethical obligation but also a measure of the maturity of Africa’s health system.
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