CLPC - Cleft Lip and Palate Center

The Surabaya CLP-center was established by Yayasan Celah Bibir, Langit-langit Surabaya and founded by Prof. Dr. dr. Djohansjah Marzoeki, Sp. BP. And Mrs. Pop Mulhadi on the 28 th of April 1999. It was supported by the smile train USA, the Australian craniofacial foundation and the Surabaya International Hospital.

CLP patients generally suffer from multiple physical defects at the same time, which for treatment requires the expertise of various specialists in different disciplines such as plastic surgeons, orthodontists, specialists, anesthetists, speech therapists and social workers.

For best results, aftercare starts either immediately after the operation or, depending on the critical growing stages of the patient, after a number of years.

Present Situation

Cleft lip and/or palate problems are worldwide known and it is the most common congenial Craniofacial anomaly. In the oriental countries approximately 1 in every 500 children is born with one or both birth defects. With one or both of these birth defects NO TREATMENT!

However financial and medical support of both Government and Local authorities is limited. Leftover are parents, relatives and families who in 80% of the cases are incapable to provide any financial support, which means NO treatment.

That is also the reason why, when visiting the elementary schools of the Surabaya area, the Rotary project started to look for older children who still hadn’t been operated for their cleft yet.

H.O.P.E.

These school visits are for the HOPE (Help of Pursuing Education) Project of the Rotary Club In these areas 1350 poor children and their families are financially supported and sanitary facilities are built in the schools. By publishing free of charge articles sponsored by Jawa Pos, Radar and Nyata in daily newspapers of Surabaya, children suffering from craniofacial anomalies are found.

The Sponsor team of RC Surabaya Central takes care that also these children are treated.

Teamwork

The Surabaya CLP Center aims to provide multi-disciplinary treatment for patients ranging between 0 and 18 years of age. A multi-disciplinary team consisting of plastic surgeons, maxillofacial surgeons and specialists in the fields of orthodontics, otolaryngology, pediatrics, pedodontics, ophthalmology, speech pathology, psychology and social work provide optimal care and all the necessary treatment for cleft lip and/or palate patients.

Target Group

Since most of the CLP patients of the East Java area are from low economic levels, their parents were and are still unable to afford a decent treatment for their children while they are still babies. In addition, due to a lack of knowledge, they were and are still often unable to deal with the defect their child suffers from. Most of the cleft children remain(ed) untreated because of these facts. Therefore the target group is now, not only the cleft children, but also many of their young brothers, sisters and even parents.

Accommodation of the patient's family

The parents and family are given, free of charge, the possibility to stay overnight during the treatment. There are for this purpose modified houses located in the hospital premises, equipped with all the basic necessities.

Treatment/Operation Costs

The cost of CLP treatment and related operations varies between Rp. 1.5 million and Rp. 4 million (USD 170 and 450), depending on the type of treatment and the severity of the defect(s). Cost of hospital beds and operation room fees are covered by the courtesy of the Surabaya International Hospital.

Cleft Care Indonesia

We offer assistance for cleft children in all East Java
We are a team of international volunteers coordinating daily the work of Indonesian social workers going to the field
We do fundraising activities and maintain the networks

We provide assistance to the cleft infants and their families by visiting them and monitoring them (feeding assistance + Nutrition Guidance + emotional support).

We follow the process of cleft repair (give free counselling about treatment and surgeries + give information about pre and post operative care + refer them to hospitals for treatments and surgeries + offer transportation support).

We establish collaborations with medical teams in East Java who can provide surgeries.

We educate the public about cleft by giving posters and brochures, doing presentations and publishing articles in the local newspapers.