What is the Cost of Free Cleft Surgery in the Middle East?

Sheriff, Samar; Zawahrah, Hassan J; Chang, Lenisa V.; Beyatlı, Sonay; Babiker, Haithem; Roach, Ashton; Biskup, Natalyia; Aalst, John A. van

doi:10.1007/s00268-017-4309-8

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…There have been few attempts by local teams in LMICs to assess the costs of CLP repair. 29 We performed a comprehensive audit of all supplies expended, staff fees, and facility expenses for patients who received cleft lip surgery at our institution in the last year of the study period. Our findings suggest that in our context where there is no surgeon fee and hospital fees are at cost, the greatest expense contributing to the surgery cost is consumable materials, specifically the sutures used.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery at a Rural African Hospital: A 13-Year Experience From Western Kenya

Rhodes,

Zhang,

Arbuiso

et al. 2024

Journal of Craniofacial Surgery

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Introduction: Most studies on the treatment of cleft lip and palate (CLP) in low-income and middle-income countries have reported on the experience of urban centers or surgical mission trips to rural locations. There is a paucity of literature on the experience of local teams providing orofacial cleft surgery in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of cleft surgery performed by an all-local team in rural Kenya. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients who received CLP repair at Kapsowar Hospital between 2011 and 2023. Information regarding patient age, sex, cleft etiology, surgical management, and home location was retrieved. For the most recent year of study (2023), the authors performed a financial audit of all costs related to the performance of unilateral cleft lip surgery. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: The authors identified 381 CLP surgeries performed on 311 patients (197 male, 63.3%). The most common etiology of the cleft was left unilateral (28.3%). The average age of primary lip repair decreased from 46.3 months in 2008 to 2009 to 20.2 months in 2022 to 2023 (P<0.001). The average age of primary cleft palate repair decreased from 38.0 months in 2008 to 2009 to 25.3 months in 2022 to 2023 (P<0.001). Patients traveled from 23 districts to receive treatment. Age of treatment was not different when distinguished by sex, county poverty level, or travel time from the hospital. The total costs associated with cleft lip repair was $201.6. Conclusions: Adequately staffed hospitals in rural locations can meaningfully address a regional CLP backlog more cost-effectively than surgical mission trips.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There have been few attempts by local teams in LMICs to assess the costs of CLP repair 29 . We performed a comprehensive audit of all supplies expended, staff fees, and facility expenses for patients who received cleft lip surgery at our institution in the last year of the study period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery at a Rural African Hospital: A 13-Year Experience From Western Kenya

Rhodes,

Zhang,

Arbuiso

et al. 2024

Journal of Craniofacial Surgery

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“…19 One example by Sheriff et al showed that the average cost of cleft surgery in the Middle East was the most expensive when conducted by international nonprofit organizations, and the primary reason was the cost of travel. 43 This illustrates that although global surgery is deemed cost effective, it is much more expensive when done by international influences when the local area has its own capacity to perform surgeries. On the contrary, virtual consultation requires low cost and time commitments for expert surgeons in high-income nations.…”

Section: Why Plastic Surgery Needs Virtual Education In Lmicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Plastic Surgery: A Review of the Field and a Call for Virtual Training in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Ullrich

Ramsey

2021

Plast Surg (Oakv)

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Lack of surgical access severely harms countless populations in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many types of surgery could be fulfilled by the plastic surgeon, as populations in these areas often experience trauma, burns, cleft lip and palate, and other relevant medical issues. Plastic surgeons continue to contribute significant time and energy to global health, primarily by participating in short mission trips intended to provide many surgeries in a short time frame. These trips, while cost-effective for lack of long-term commitments, are not sustainable as they require high initial costs, often neglect to educate local physicians, and can interfere with regional systems. Education of local plastic surgeons is a key step toward creating sustainable plastic surgery interventions worldwide. Virtual platforms have grown popular and effective—particularly due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic—and have shown to be beneficial in the field of plastic surgery for both diagnosis and teaching. However, there remains a large potential to create more extensive and effective virtual platforms in high-income nations geared to educate plastic surgeons in LMICs to lower costs and more sustainably provide capacity to physicians in low access areas of the world.

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Surgical rehabilitation of cleft lip and/or palate: evaluation of the Brazilian public health system

Silveira

Martelli

Dias

et al. 2022

Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology

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What is the Cost of Free Cleft Surgery in the Middle East?

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery at a Rural African Hospital: A 13-Year Experience From Western Kenya

Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery at a Rural African Hospital: A 13-Year Experience From Western Kenya

Global Plastic Surgery: A Review of the Field and a Call for Virtual Training in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Surgical rehabilitation of cleft lip and/or palate: evaluation of the Brazilian public health system

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