Cleft lip patients in East Jakarta undergo post-operative check-ups and therapy

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of Ciracas Regional General Hospital Debby Permatasari said patients who have undergone cleft lip and palate surgery at the hospital will subsequently undergo check-ups and speech therapy as part of the post-operative recovery process.

“Later they will have check-ups at the hospital that carried out the procedure. For East Jakarta, this is the fourth time, and the check-ups will be carried out after the surgery,” said Debby when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday.

The check-ups are conducted for follow-up monitoring and to ensure that post-operative conditions are progressing well.

Debby said patient care depends on the condition and type of cleft involved. Patients without a cleft in the roof of the mouth generally do not require a long hospital stay.

“Meanwhile, for those with clefts in the palate, there may be a post-operative recovery period first, and they will not go home immediately. So the attending doctor will visit to check again on those who stay overnight,” Debby explained.

In addition to medical examinations, patients also receive speech therapy as part of the recovery process.

“Yes, after that there are check-ups. The check-ups are carried out at our surgical outpatient clinic, and then there is also speech therapy afterwards,” said Debby.

Furthermore, she expressed hope that the cleft lip surgery can be completed in a single operation based on the results of cooperation between Smile Train and the Indonesian Plastic Surgery Association.

“We hope it will only require one operation. The average is quite high from the results of the Smile Train cooperation with the Indonesian Plastic Surgery Association, on average just one operation,” said Debby.

Of the 21 children who underwent the surgery, 18 are residents of East Jakarta, while the rest come from outside Jakarta.

In total, 31 children registered, but not all participants could immediately undergo the medical procedure. Each prospective patient must go through a screening process to ensure their health condition and suitability for surgery.

In the cleft lip surgery activity, the majority of patients treated were children.

“Children. There are also adults, God willing, who will be operated on, but indeed the number of children is greater than adults,” Debby revealed.

She also expressed hope that the surgery can help patients improve their physical condition, support functions related to eating and speaking, and help restore children’s self-confidence in living their lives.