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Cleft lip and palate repair surgery unit in Vavuniya, a relief to poor parents
Children born with cleft lip and palate defects in the North now have the opportunity to undergo repair surgery at a unit recently opened at the Vavuniya General Hospital. Dr. Ranjan Mallawaarachchi who heads the unit said children with this defect needed to be operated at a young age to avoid complications later on in life.
The unit is supported by Smile Train, an international childrens charity that helps millions of children worldwise who suffer from cleft lip and palate problems Dr.Mallawaarachchi said that cleft repair surgery was simple and the transformation was immediate.
He said the centre in Vavuniya would be a great relief to poor parents because to do such an operation privately would cost between Rs. 100, 000 to Rs. 500, 000. Cleft palate repair surgery is usually done when a child is between 9 months and one year old. Doing the repair surgery at this young age helps to avert speech problems as the child grows older, Dr. Mallwaaarachchi said.