Construction of hospital for cleft lip, palate patients begins

Pakistan Cleft-lip and cleft-palate Association has started construction of a state of the art hospital for the cleft lip and palate patients here on Saturday. The foundation stone laying ceremony was attended by top Pakistani and British plastic surgeons, beside a large number of local people including members of Gujrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Those attended the ceremony included distinguished British Plastic Surgeons Dr Nick Hart, Dr Aman Ullah Raja and Dr Muhammad Riaz, besides Pakistani plastic surgeons Dr Ijaz Bashir, Dr Akhter Rehman, and others. Giving details of the hospital Dr Ijaz Bashir, Secretary General PCLAPA, said the hospital would cost Rs 320 million and Government of Japan has contributed Rs 9 million for the construction of phase one of the hospital, which would cost approximately Rs 20 million.
He said that in Pakistan thousands of patients are with cleft lips and palate and due to non-availability of proper treatment they are living miserable lives. He said, he and his friends have started free of cost plastic surgery of poor people in 1996 and during the last 16 years they have treated nearly 11,000 patients of which 2,288 were with severe cleft lip and palate children. He said those who were treated are now living normal lives and some of them have recently got married.
He said that children with cleft-lip and cleft-palate were operated upon by a team of internationally distinguished plastic surgeons, specialists and para-medical staff, as has been done during the previous 26 camps arranged by PCLAPA over the past 16 years. So far, 2,288 children have been operated upon with 100 percent success. Their lives have entirely changed since then. More than 10,950 children and other patients have been examined at the camps. He said that the planned hospital would be 100 bedded, which would also have residential facilities for the staff.
Speaking on the occasion Dr Akhtar Rahman, President of PCLAPA's Islamabad Chapter who is former Director General and Administrator of King Fahad Hospital, Taif, Saudi Arabia, said after completion of Ayesha Bashir Hospital Gujrat the organisation would establish similar Hospitals in other big cities of the country including Islamabad and Lahore. He said that patients are now being registered for surgery at next camp. The organisation has countrywide network and its dedicated doctors also examine patients at the Islamabad office. Cleft-lip and cleft-palate patients could contact PCLAPA Islamabad office at House 7, Street 13, F-8/3, Islamabad Phone (051) 2251275.