PHNOM PENH (Bernama): Dozens of children and adults in rural Cambodia born with cleft lip and palate can now smile with confidence, free from fear and social stigma.
What once seemed impossible has become a life-changing reality for them.
That journey towards a brighter future began with the Cambodia-Malaysia Friendship Surgical Mission, a five-day humanitarian initiative that united volunteer surgeons and healthcare professionals from both countries.
Smile Cambodia jointly organised the mission with the Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Malaysia, Smile Asia and the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital from July 19 to 23, reflecting the growing humanitarian partnership between the two countries.
"Our initiative has significantly impacted rural children by correcting severe facial deformities, breaking social stigma and providing critical post-surgical care to remove financial barriers for families.”
"We hope to provide everyone with an equal opportunity to access good healthcare services in the areas we operate. In the future, we hope to expand the scope of healthcare services available to the underprivileged,” founder, executive director and vice chairman of Smile Cambodia Chan Kok Choy told Bernama.
During the five-day mission, 80 patients were screened, with 55 surgical procedures performed for cleft lip, cleft palate, burns and other facial deformities. Seven patients with severe burns received specialised treatment, while 24 cleft patients also underwent dental care and speech therapy.
"This surgical mission is significant because it represents the inaugural Cambodia-Malaysia Friendship Surgical Mission and the first specialised dental care treatment for our cleft patients.
"Besides, this is also the first mission whereby we treated patients with severe burns, including a soldier who was a frontline combat casualty and two young girls with serious burn injuries from kitchen accidents,” said Chan.
The organisation plans to integrate comprehensive dental treatment and speech therapy alongside surgeries to provide long-term post-surgical care for underprivileged Cambodian children.
Malaysian diplomats based in Phnom Penh added a more heartfelt humanitarian touch to the recent mission.
The Ladies' Association of the Embassy of Malaysia Phnom Penh (Perwakilan) went the extra mile to cheer up the young patients and their families by giving away goodie bags.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Ambassador to Cambodia Shaharuddin Onn lent his support to the volunteer medical mission by meeting children and sharing moments of warmth with patients and their families. His presence also reinforced the deep humanitarian bonds between Malaysia and Cambodia.
The mission brought together five volunteer doctors from Malaysia, two doctors and a speech therapist from the Philippines, more than 10 Cambodian doctors and over 20 non-medical volunteers. -- Bernama
