Can a small malformation be a reason for social marginalization? Yes, if this manifests itself in those who already live in conditions of poverty and, moreover, in a country that is disadvantaged from an economic point of view but elitist in the exercise of public life. Here, then, is a problem that can be solved with a simple (by our standards) surgical operation in these cases it can transform into an insurmountable mountain. Unless there is someone who, aware of how much help can make a difference, rolls up their sleeves to help those suffering from certain situations to redeem their social role. Emergenza Sorrisi ETS, founded by Dr. Fabio Massimo Abenavola, has this and other objectives. Why Correcting a cleft lip (cleft lip) is just the starting point. The hope lies in the training of hospital staff in countries where healthcare is deprived of means and sustenance, of resources but not of doctors of good will.
President, what is the real range of action of Emergenza Sorrisi?
“It deals with 360-degree healthcare activities. Doctors and nurses offer free service. It has three bases: carrying out surgical missions in countries with fewer resources, paid healthcare and without staff training. We go through agreements, local hospitals, surgical activities, including those involving war burns. The training concerns doctors and paramedics. Beyond this, our intervention includes awareness-raising activities through various projects. In some cases, the children assisted by us were taken to Italy and treated.”
Do we therefore act by creating local outpatient clinics?
“Ours are long-term projects and, to follow them up, we create the same locally managed organization. We collaborate with health authorities in the country to support our commitment. When Covid happened we carried out distance learning activities, both for monitoring and for therapies”.
Why was Emergenza Sorrisi born?
“A dream I’ve been chasing for thirty years. Going to Africa as a doctor. I found many people who shared it as a life experience. And this has repercussions on our usual activities. It comes from the desire to give back what we have had. Three hours away by plane there are miserable situations. I also said this to my young assistants: you have the opportunity to train, others don’t even have access to books or a surgical instrument. We don’t realize how lucky we are. The aim is to allow everyone else to achieve the professional status that we have the opportunity to have. In some countries, those with a harelip cannot show themselves to others and this generates marginalization. In these contexts the essential is missing. The healthcare professionals themselves compliment us because our commitment goes beyond the single surgical commitment. A bit like the Mattei plan, we try to encourage a development path.”
We talked about Africa but health emergencies also characterize other countries…
“Now the mission will leave for Iraq, where we have been present for many years. Immense resources but in miserable conditions. In these contexts there are no doctors, healthcare is paid. The war caused incredible damage. And the same is also true in Syria, a very developed country but with a difficult situation. Pakistan the same. There are conditions that are not only present in Africa but also where there are resources. Man inserts himself into these contexts of violence and oppression without realizing it. Marginalization, illness, facial deformity…
How much does the training of doctors have an impact on local healthcare development?
“The response on site is very good, also because the training takes place with surgeons who are mostly already trained, who already work, have manual skills and daily contact with the patient. They are professionals with whom you interact well, they have an opportunity in life. In Iraq there are 4-5 doctors, a school has been created, we have provided materials, created a reference center, also in Afghanistan.
Specifically about harelip, how many cases are we talking about?
“In some contexts, especially in Africa, there is one case every 500/600 births. In Italy, just to make a comparison, we have one case every 1,300-1,500 births approximately. In an African country, therefore, we are talking about a caseload three times higher than the average percentage in a European one.”
