The First International Cleft Symposium was inaugurated on Sunday under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Sultan Ya’rub Al Busaidi, Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Advisor for Health Affairs at the Intercontinental hotel, Muscat. The Symposium, which is organized by the Ministry of Health (MOH) represented by the Directorate General of Khoula Hospital in collaboration with the Oman Society of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery (OSPRAS), was attended by number of specialized medical staff in the field of reconstructive and craniofacial surgery. 

The inauguration ceremony started by an opening remarks from Dr. Taimoor Al Bulushi, head of plastic surgery at Khoula hospital and president of OSPRAS stating that cleft lip and palate is a common congenital facial malformation and more than 150 new cases are treated by Craniofacial and cleft team at Khoula Hospital. He added that Cleft care in Oman is provided at the highest standards as MOH is taking a great effort to provide complete management from birth to adulthood. Dr. Al Bulushi further pointed out that the Ministry has already established plastic and craniofacial clinics regularly in the Sultanate hospitals such as Sohar, Nizwa, and Dhofar. 

The four-day event is hosting international expertise in the field of cleft surgery to  provide the participants with extensive management protocols, as well as international speakers from Australia, India and Turkey who present multiple lectures based on their existence in the field of cleft surgery.

The program will also include a workshop on cleft orthogenetic surgery that is performed to correct these congenital facial malformations.

Furthermore, the third day of the symposium will address around 47 complicated medical cases and their management in the craniofacial clinic and live surgery will be displayed in the last day.