Operation Smile to treat Pinoy kids

MANILA, Philippines - Operation Smile, the private and non-profit volunteer medical organization that provides reconstructive surgery to indigent children with cleft lips and palates worldwide, will mark its 30th foundation next year with eight simultaneous surgical missions to treat 1,500 Filipino children.

 American craniofacial surgeon William Magee, who, together with his nurse wife Kathleen, started the organization’s work in the Philippines 28 years ago, said the surgical missions will be held in Naga City; Dasmariñas, Cavite; Sta. Ana in Manila; San Fernando, Pampanga; Silay City, Negros; Cebu City; Cagayan de Oro City; and General Santos City.

 The Magees founded Operation Smile in 1982 following a medical mission in Naga City to treat children with cleft lips and palates.

 Dr. Magee said that, in their initial surgeries, only 40 patients were treated but more than 300 showed up.

 “One woman gave me a bunch of bananas to thank me for treating her daughter. But we were not able to treat her. We told the woman that we may be able to treat her daughter next year. So we went back and we were able to treat 150 children,” he said.

“There is no better place in the world to start Operation Smile than in the Philippines. I think in our past lives we were Filipinos,” he said.

Called the “Journey Home,” the eight simultaneous surgical missions will be done this month and will also involve the participation of volunteer plastic surgeons and support staff from over 60 countries.

Cleft deformity is among the 12 birth defects in the Philippines with some 4,000 children being born each year with a cleft palate, a cleft lip, or both. Around the world, more than 200,000 children are born with cleft deformity each year, Operation Smile said.

To date, Dr. Magee said Operation Smile has performed successful plastic surgeries on 24,000 Filipino children with cleft deformities.

“Now is the time to invest on our children who badly need this care and make sure that no child will live without a smile,” he added.

Meanwhile, Smart Communications is extending its technical support to Operation Smile with the introduction of a mobile application designed to fast-track and systematize the recording and registration of patients.

According to Ramon Isberto, Smart Public Affairs Group head, the telecoms firm has provided Operation Smile with a java-based mobile application that will enable volunteer doctors to take photos of the patient’s cleft deformity with the use of a mobile phone that can then be sent via the Internet to a centralized web-based database. Important patient information will also be sent with the photo using the application.

The application was developed for free by the Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center. The application, said Smart, is provided for free to Operation Smile as part of its corporate social responsibility program.