Smile train, WACS call for younger surgeons specialisation in cleft surgery

In a bid to increase the number of cleft specialists in West Africa, global cleft charity Smile Train and the West African College of Surgeons (WACS) recently churned out the first cohort of cleft specialists following a 9-month long training and the award of Smile Train- WACS Post-Fellowship Cleft Surgery Certification, the first of its kind with WACS.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony held at the 62nd General Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference of WACS in Monrovia, Liberia, Smile Train Vice-President and Regional Director for Africa Mrs Nkeiruka Obi underscored the importance of training younger surgeons in ensuring access to safe and quality surgeries locally. The ceremony feted the pioneer graduates: Dr. Amaka Ehighibe, Dr. Aliyu Umar Farinyaro, Dr. Bright Otoghile, Dr. Sabo Vinishe, from Nigeria, Dr. Emile Tano (Ghana) Dr. Gandjèhou Houessou (Benin) and Dr. Allaye Garango (Mali).

“Smile Train contributes to building a functional surgical system with comprehensive cleft care through various capacity building programs. We continue to encourage younger surgeons to specialize in cleft surgery and carry on the great work of the seasoned surgeons. In addition to a full scholarship, they benefit from mentorship and cultural exchange which creates invaluable exposure. They also ensure a healthy pipeline of cleft surgeons who provide forever smiles within their local communities all year round,” Obi stated.

While gracing an intimate dinner hosted in honor of the graduates, Minister for Health in Liberia Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah strongly advocated for partnerships in treatment of cleft. The dinner was attended by past and sitting Presidents of WACS, lecturers and Smile Train partners within West Africa.

“If we are to manage public health more effectively, collaboration is the way to go. We celebrate Smile Train for leading the way in ensuring local capacity building while providing the necessary resources to reach the most vulnerable with safe and quality cleft care services,” said Dr. Jallah.

There is still a huge gap of qualified surgeons serving large populations in low to middle income countries. The LANCET commission recommends 20 surgeons per hundred thousand persons.

WACS President Prof. Peter Donkor estimated that only twenty thousand surgeons are catering to the near four hundred million population in West Africa. He added that surgical capacity building specifically training of surgeons is limited by several factors but expressed optimism that with the partnership with Smile Train a lot can be achieved.

“Currently in West Africa the total number of surgeons that we have is way below to meet the needs of our population and the rate at which we are training them is not meeting the increasing demand. Our collaboration with Smile Train is growing the network of qualified cleft surgeons within the community. We encourage younger surgeons and especially women to leverage such opportunities to thrive in their careers,” said Prof. Donkor.

Smile Train’s traditional model of teaching a man to fish ensures that patients with cleft receive free, safe, timely and quality comprehensive treatment within their local communities. To increase the number of skilled cleft professionals in the continent, Smile Train has laid the foundation for Africa’s first Cleft Leadership Centre (CLC) hosted at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Ghana.

The Centre’s construction set to be completed in 2023 follows a memorandum of understanding between Ministry of Health Ghana, Smile Train, KATH, and Ghana Cleft Foundation. The architectural design which is symbolic of a cleft will receive $2 million investment from Smile Train for the construction and equipping the facilities.

The CLC will serve as the Center of excellence in Africa for the provision of Comprehensive Cleft Care and Referral Center for complex cleft/craniofacial treatment providing a holistic, team-centered model of care that encompasses surgery, speech therapy, nutritional support, orthodontics provider training, research and more.