Hundreds of children with facial deformities, accompanied by their
parents and guardians, yesterday trooped to the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni
Provincial Hospital in Silay City to avail of free surgeries by
doctor-volunteers of the Operation Smile International, assisted
by the Hope Volunteers Foundation, for those suffering cleft lip
and palate deformities.
Dr. Laurence Loh, Operation Smile International Team field
medical director, yesterday said an operation for cleft lip and
palate deformities costs between P70,000 to P100,000. Operation
Smile, a United Nations affiliated organization, is a non-profit
and volunteer-based medical mission providing free reconstructive
surgery to indigent children with facial deformities.
The week-long medical mission of OSI in Silay City, sponsored
by HOPE Volunteers Foundation, is being participated in by at least
50 foreign and Manila-based volunteers. Yesterday they started the
screening of patients.
Edith Villanueva, Operation Smile Philippines president, said
they are targeting to operate on 200 children suffering from facial
deformities in Negros Occidental. OSI is also celebrating its 25th
anniversary this year.
Dee Zobel, OSP Foundation trustee, said they need more volunteers
to treat children with cleft lip and palate deformities. She said
they depend so much on volunteers for their mission to be successful.
More than 2,000 indigent children have been treated in
Negros, Villanueva said, adding that there are still thousands more
waiting and hoping for an opportunity to be assisted by OSI which
has similar projects ongoing in Cebu and Davao cities.
Villanueva said one of every 500 children in the country suffers
from cleft lip and palate deformities. "Good nutrition of mothers
and fluoride in the water system may help prevent such deformities,"
she added.
Governor Joseph Maranon who extended P100,000 in financial
assistance to the medical mission, lauded the efforts of OSI Mission
in providing assistance to Negrenses, and making their lives better.
"The help and support you have constantly extended proved to be
beneficial," Maraņon said. He also commended the HOPE Foundation
for bringing the project to Negros Occidental.
The surgery on children suffering cleft lip and palate deformities
at the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital is expected
to start today.
George Yarbrough, OSI Mission Coordinator, said the OSI World
Journey of Smiles, which will cover 25 countries, in line with the
25th anniversary, will start in the Philippines in November.*GPB
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