GQEBERHA – Fifteen children received specialised reconstructive surgery at PE Provincial Hospital last week as part of a three-day programme hosted in partnership with the Smile Foundation and its donors.

The programme, which ran from 16 to 18 September, provided children with access to specialised reconstructive procedures while also strengthening the skills of healthcare professionals involved in the programme.

Smile Foundation Regional Coordinator Tanya Jackson said five patients underwent surgery on Wednesday, with another five scheduled for each of the remaining two days.

Surgeries offer children new opportunities

“By the end of the week we have changed the lives of 15 children. With this small foundation we assist children, we are not just helping the child; we are changing the lives of the family,” Jackson said.

She said the impact of the surgeries extends beyond the physical changes, as children would have an opportunity to attend school, pursue education and eventually enter the workforce.

Tshidi Chabana-Xaba, the Chief Operating Officer of the foundation, said they were very excited about the ongoing collaboration. She said it changes the communities the children come from.

“We are changing communities when we change these kids’lives. When they go back to their communities, they will be integrated into playing with other kids,” said Xaba.

“We are grateful to be doing this with the Eastern Cape Department of Health. We have never had any complaints, cancellations or postponements. We are grateful that we are helping kids far beyond the Eastern Cape and not just kids in the Eastern Cape only.”

The importance of early intervention

Dr Saulene Swart, one of the surgeons, said that since the programme started, all the operations had gone well.

“The main reason we do these types of things is that these kids are still young. When they grow up, there are a lot of psychological things that go around with them. What is important for us is to make sure that each child feels like they are normal.

We work with what we have available, and with the help of the provincial health department and Smile Foundation, our theatres have been placed and managed in a very nice and organised way,” said Swart.

Siyanda Manana, the Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson, said it is important for the department to support the initiative because their aim is to provide good healthcare services to the people of the province.

“I am happy with the progress and impact that we are making together with the partnership in the lives of these kids.”

Parents share relief and gratitude

He further explained that they have a database where they extract people after they go through the assessment process. They then invite them to hospitals for evaluation.

Speaking to PE Express, Tasha Klaas, whose seven-year-old son, Thandolwethu Gaceni, was due to undergo reconstructive ear surgery said her feelings are all over the place.

“I will be relieved when the operation is done. I was excited when I heard my child was going to be operated on because my child was being bullied at school,” said Klaas.

She further said that from the day her child was born, she had followed all the procedures she was instructed to follow by the clinic. She was told to wait for the child to turn seven years old before the operation could be done.

Veroska Visagie, one of the mothers whose child’s cleft palate was successfully operated on, was filled with tears of joy and relief.

“I become very emotional when I speak about this. I am happy and grateful for the doctors and the Smile Foundation. I am happy that my son will now live a normal life and no child will tease him again,” said Visagie.

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