Operation Smile performs surgeries in Mozambique to correct cleft lip and palate
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Operation Smile recently conducted a surgical campaign at Nampula Central Hospital in Mozambique, providing cleft lip and palate repairs to 44 patients.
The non-profit organisation assessed 56 individuals aged between 12 months and 50 years from Nampula province, selecting those best suited for the procedures. These surgeries address congenital conditions that can affect a person’s ability to eat, speak, and hear, but are treatable with surgery.
The campaign is the third that Operation Smile has organised at the hospital in 2026, following earlier procedures in February and April. Beyond the immediate surgeries, Operation Smile aims to build capacity within Mozambique’s healthcare system. Foreign specialists are working alongside Mozambican doctors and nurses in fields like maxillofacial surgery and anaesthesiology to share expertise.
Nilza Ferrão, the programme coordinator for Operation Smile in Mozambique, noted that while the current number of surgeries doesn’t meet the total need, the training component is a key objective. Since 2021, Operation Smile has identified over 400 people in Nampula province who have orofacial clefts. Ferrão also encouraged families to seek medical care for children born with these conditions, as stigma can prevent people from getting treatment.
