The public should stop discriminating and stigmatising individuals with cleft lip and palate, Government has said, as it seeks to demystify the deep-rooted misconceptions about clefts in African culture.

Health and Child Care Ministry permanent secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze made the call yesterday while officially opening the 7th Pan-African regional conference on cleft care.

The conference runs for three days, under the theme, "Cleft care in Africa: Reorganisation and repositioning for excellence".

It has attracted representatives from African countries including Mozambique, Togo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Cameroon, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar and Mali.

"Communities must understand that clefts are treatable and that support is available," he said.

"I want to emphasise our commitment to ensuring that every child born with a cleft has access to the necessary surgical interventions and ongoing care.

"Together we must foster an environment where families can seek support without stigma and where health professionals are equipped to provide the highest standards of care," he said.

The president and chief executive officer of Smile Train, a non-governmental organisation that offers free cleft lip and palate surgeries, Dr Susannah Schaefer, said in Africa alone, the 149 250 primary cleft surgeries that have been supported, have prevented over 11 million years lost to disability, thus yielding more than US$2,5 billion in economic benefit.

"All of these remarkable milestones and all of these wins are the result of weeks, months and sometimes years of hard work across Smile Train and our partner network," she said.

Smile Train vice president and regional director for Africa, Mrs Nkeiruka Obi, said: "I believe that through the insightful discussions, workshops and collaborations ahead, we will chart a course that repositions cleft care at the heart of healthcare systems in our region, leading to improved outcomes and stronger partnerships."