NGOs sponsor surgery for 10 cleft-palate children in Ekiti

RELIEF came for 10 children with cleft lip and upper palate disorders in Ekiti State as Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, (SPDC) and Health, Education, Work and Shelter (HEWS) Foundation recently sponsored their surgery.

The indigent kids had been with the deformity for some years with no financial prowess from their parents to carry out the surgery.

The General Manager, External Relations of the SPDC Mr Igo Weli, at the opening ceremony to commence the surgery said “the mission is to restore a smiling face to the beneficiaries, for the third time in Ekiti State.”

According to Weli, the gesture by the organization is to continue to invest in social projects and programmes to improve the quality of lives of Nigerians and to improve health care services in many
communities in Nigeria.

The President and Founder of HEWS, Dr. Remi Adesiyan, urged the people to refrain from self-medication, which she said, “is very dangerous to the health of the people.”

She specifically told pregnant women not to engage in self-medication and called on well-meaning Nigerians to assist the less privileged by donating to tackle their health challenges like cleft lip/palate/ benign jaw tumours.

“Many of us in this country who God blessed and who has the resources should help the less privileged that are suffering needlessly.”

The Chief Medical Director, (CMD), Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), said the partners and foundation are supporting the
vision of Ekiti State government to make healthcare affordable to the people.

He added that the team comprises doctors from the teaching hospital in the state who are for the third time giving support to indigent patients.

Dr. Obimakinde Obitade Sunday, who is the team leader noted that ignorance and lack of education is responsible for this kind of disease that is treatable with little fund.

Obimakinde said they are reaching out to the rural communities for the people to know that the treatment is available.

e said: “Even if you don’t have money, we have organizations that we can easily call on to bail us out.”