MERCY PUTS SMILES ON "PAINFUL" LIPS IN DHAKA

From P. Vijian

DHAKA, March 22 (Bernama) -- When village school teacher Humaun Kabir's son was born with a cleft lip and palate disorder, the doting father gave up hope of seeing his only child put on a normal smile.

But his agony disappeared on Sunday when a team of voluntary Malaysian
doctors diligently repaired the 15-month-old infant's deformity. The saviour was
Mercy Malaysia, which made the surgery possible at zero cost.

"If no Mercy, there is no surgery for my child because there is no local
hospital in my village and I can't afford any private hospital," said Humaun.

Not only Humaun's family is cheerful. About 50 patients with similar
disorders would soon be able to smile again as Mercy has rolled out its medical
mission in the capital.

The humanitarian agency had dispatched its third mission to Bangladesh,
backed by eight medical experts, to operate on patients suffering from the
disorder, which is quite prevalent in the country.

Although no exact figures are available, experts estimate that 200,000 such
cases exist in Bangladesh, mainly due to poor economic conditions and lack of
surgical expertise.

The team headed by Prof Dr Ahmad Sukari Halim, Senior Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgeon at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Hospital in
Kelantan, is set to conduct corrective surgery on dozens of patients at the
Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH).

"On the average, we do about 16 cases per day and our challenge is the
stringent selection process of the patients to ensure that there is no failure.
So far, there are no complications," Dr Ahmad Sukari told Bernama.

"We give them a new life. Many families cannot afford private surgery.
Mercy's programme has been successful and we are also training local staff for
post-surgery treatments," he added.

Families from remote parts of Bangladesh travel hundreds of kilometres to
Dhaka to seek free treatment for their children from Mercy's cleft lip and
palate programme, implemented with the support of USM Hospital and DCH.

At DCH, Malaysian doctors and Mercy volunteers work under strenuous
conditions to correct these deformities, often caused by environmental or
genetic factors, so that patients can lead a normal life. It is a treatment that
remains elusive to many other sufferers.

-- BERNAMA