Facial Deformities Treatment in Russia

In the United States, a child born with cleft palate automatically receives surgery shortly after birth. In Russia it can mean a lifetime of shame, suffering or a cause of abandonment.

Of the close to 30,000 children in Russia born each year with facial deformities, approximately 30-40% are cleft lip and palate cases. Over half of Russia's 89 regions do not have medical facilities capable of assisting such patients, and many corrective surgeries are performed by general surgeons who do not have the necessary experience and training to provide proper treatment.

In fall 2000, RCWS partnered with The Smile Train, an American non-profit organization whose mission is to assist children born with cleft lip and palate worldwide. We involved two of the most prominent Russian hospitals for children’s facial reconstructive surgery: the Moscow Medical Stomatological Institute and the Moscow Center for Children's Maxillofacial Surgery. In December 2002, in order to raise standards of cleft care outside of Moscow, RCWS and MMSU hosted its 1st Training Symposium for 250 cleft practitioners, sponsored by The Smile Train and the Russian Ministry of Health.

In April 2006, RCWS, together with the Smile Train, Russian Ministry of Health, and the Moscow Medical Stomatological Institute, held the 2nd Training Symposium on Cleft in Moscow, which was attended by 450 medical professionals from 39 regions of Russia.

The surgery takes as little as 45 minutes, costs as little as $250, and it changes a child’s life forever.Source:

http://www.rcws.org/programs_medical.htm