Early this year we got a cooperation offer from the Fundación para la Salud “Roberto Rosa Ressini” Ayninakuna in Cochabamba. Ayninakuna was established in 2017 by the distinguished pediatric surgeon Dr. Roberto Edmundo Rosa Ressini.
Over many years, Dr. Rosa built up a treatment center for children with cleft lip and palate in the Aranjuez Clinic in Cochabamba. 86 percent of Ayninakuna’s patients are under one year old. An early start of treatment ensures the best results. The treatment protocol developed by Dr. Ressini calls for lip surgery in the third and palate surgery in the eleventh month after birth. NAM (Nasoalvolear Molding) is used as a preoperative measure. In addition to the full spectrum of surgical interventions, the center offers comprehensive, long-term care for the children and their parents. Family psychosocial support has been available from the start. The children are treated with orthodontics and speech therapy as needed. In the past 18 years, over 6,000 children and adolescents have been treated at the center.
In 2018, one year after the establishment of the foundation, Dr. Roberto Edmundo Rosa Ressini sadly died. Since then his life’s work, the Ayninakuna treatment center, has been headed by Dr. Eligio Rolanda Acienega Llano, a surgeon trained by Dr. Ressini. Additional collaborators are Dr. Karina Quiroga Loza and two anesthetists.
The initial cooperation agreement provides funding for 100 surgeries. A continuation of the agreement beyond these initial surgeries is planned.
Find more information about our work for cleft children in Bolivia here.
