NSOANP co-chair, Prof Emmanuel Ameh; Smile Train’s Vice President and Director for Africa, Mrs Nkeiruka Obi; Chair of the NSOANP implementation committee, Dr Jimoh Salaudeen; and the President Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Dr Pamela Ajayi

The world’s largest cleft-focused charity, Smile Train, on Saturday, commended experts in Nigeria’s National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthesia, and Nursing Plan for championing quality surgical, obstetric, anaesthesia, and nursing care in Africa.

Speaking at the ongoing fourth NSOANP and National Cleft Care Stakeholders Forum in Abuja, Smile Train’s Vice President and Director for Africa, Mrs Nkeiruka Obi noted that the investment and consistency of implementing the NSOANP has put Nigeria on the global map in advocating for quality surgical healthcare services.

Mrs Obi, however, called on stakeholders to leverage collaboration and innovation in elevating quality cleft care within the local community.

She said, “Smile Train is proud to support the implementation of NSOANP, which has put Nigeria as the reference benchmark for other countries across Africa. The prioritisation of perioperative nursing within the plan is a win for our nurses on the frontline of healthcare.

“The inclusion and prioritisation of children’s surgery is a victory for children’s surgery providers, as children’s surgical care would no longer be overlooked.

“The small steps that bring us together are a win for our healthcare system. The success of NSOANP creates an advocacy platform as we play our part in achieving Universal Health Coverage.”

On his part, the Chair of the NSOANP implementation committee, Dr Jimoh Salaudeen, commended the experts for their tireless efforts to provide quality surgical services within the local community.

Dr Salaudeen, who represented the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, commended Smile Train for its support of the implementation process.

“Smile Trains model of partnerships has laid the foundation for implementing NSOANP. Let us keep collaborating and sharing ideas on how best to raise the standards of surgical care in Nigeria,” Salaudeen, who is also the Director of Hospital Services at the Ministry stated. 

Also speaking, NSOANP co-chair, Prof Emmanuel Ameh,  stressed that NSOANP is gradually but steadily changing the narrative for Nigeria’s surgical healthcare system.

Prof Ameh maintained that the modest achievements of the last four years should be supported and consolidated to facilitate the realisation of UHC.

The event also saw media professionals Ezedimbu Karen Ogom of the African Independent Television, Lara Adejoro of the PUNCH Newspaper, and Blessing Omeche Ebute of the Nigerian Television Authority being celebrated at the Cleft Awareness Media Awards.

The award, which has been running for three consecutive years, recognises media professionals for creating awareness, dispelling myths, and shunning the stigma surrounding clefts.

It was reported that the Smile Train programmes in Nigeria began in 2002 and have so far transformed the lives of over 30,000 beneficiaries through its network of 54 partner hospitals across all states of Nigeria.

Across Africa, Smile Train has developed local partnerships with more than 245 partner hospitals and over 255 medical partners in 42 countries to provide free cleft treatment since 2002. To date, Smile Train’s local medical partners have provided more than 170,000 life-changing cleft surgeries in Africa.

Smile Train’s strategic investments in education and training include partnerships with Scottish Charity KidsOR, the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa, and the West African College of Surgeons, to provide scholarships in various categories.

The organisation will soon launch Africa’s first Cleft Leadership Centre in Ghana to build the capacity of cleft professionals to dispense global standards of care at local levels.