Lula sanctions law requiring cleft lip surgery in the SUS

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has signed into law a law that requires the provision of reconstructive surgery for cleft lip or palate in the Unified Health System (SUS). The text, published in the Official Gazette of the Union on Wednesday (7), also provides for post-surgical treatment, including speech therapy, psychology, orthodontics and other services necessary for the patient's full recovery. The new law also protects newborns.

“When a cleft lip is diagnosed prenatally or after birth, the newborn will be promptly referred to a specialized center to begin clinical monitoring and to schedule reconstructive surgery ,” says Law No. 15,133/2025.

If the patient requires oral reeducation, a speech therapist should be provided free of charge to assist him/her with sucking and chewing exercises and speech development . In addition, the patient may be assisted, free of charge, by an orthodontist, who will be responsible for deciding on dental implants and the adoption of orthodontic appliances in the treatment.

The bill was approved by Congress in early April. At the time, the rapporteur of the bill in the Chamber of Deputies, Dr. Ismael Alexandrino (PSD-GO), recalled that around 15 children are born with this malformation every day in Brazil. “The longer it takes for the child to undergo surgery, the more problems it will cause in terms of development, nutrition, infections and bullying,” he stated.

For Alexandrino, although the treatment can be interpreted as already guaranteed by the Constitution, the new law makes this right explicit and strengthens it.

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