Despite ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh following the July 2024 revolution, our partnership with the cleft team at the National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS) in Dhaka continues to thrive.

While visits from the North Thames Cleft team remain on hold due to safety concerns, CLEFT Chairman Brian Sommerlad has made three self-funded trips to Dhaka since the uprising. His commitment to maintaining close ties and supporting the local team has been unwavering.

During his most recent visit, Brian joined Professor Papon and the team in both clinic and theatre, where they continue to deliver life-changing care under challenging circumstances. One of the patients seen was 11-month-old Siraiya, pictured just three hours after her second operation for a bilateral cleft lip. You can also see her before her first surgery in February on the left.

The team treats a wide spectrum of cleft conditions - from bilateral cleft lips like Siraiya’s to more complex facial clefts that require highly specialised surgical expertise. These complex cases often involve multiple procedures and long-term multidisciplinary care. You can learn more about these cases in our video on complex clefts.

In addition to surgical care, one of the great successes of our long-standing partnership has been the integration of speech and language therapy. The strong connection between the cleft team at NIBPS and the speech therapy programme at Dhaka University has grown through the dedicated efforts of Marie Pinkstone, CLEFT Vice-Chair, and Tawhida Jahan, Head of Speech Therapy at the University. During the recent clinic, CLEFT-funded therapists worked alongside speech therapy students to assess both new and returning patients - a powerful example of collaboration and learning in action.

However, the team is currently facing a significant challenge: their C-Arm X-ray machine, essential for surgical investigations and intraoperative imaging, is out of service and in need of repair. We are actively exploring whether CLEFT can help fund the repairs or whether the hospital can cover the costs. Restoring this vital piece of equipment is a priority to ensure the team can continue delivering the highest standard of care.

(Siraiya’s mother has kindly given permission for her photos to be shared.)