By 2025, approximately 100 children in Nghe An will receive free cleft lip and palate surgery.
On the morning of December 5th, the Nghe An Provincial Children's Protection Fund, in collaboration with Operation Smile and Hoan My Vinh Hospital, launched the "Smile Surgery 2025" program, aiming to improve the quality of life for children with craniofacial deformities.
Attending the program were representatives from the Nghe An Department of Health, the Provincial Children's Protection Fund, experts from Operation Smile Vietnam, sponsors, and the medical team of Hoan My Vinh Hospital.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Trong Viet, Director of the Nghe An Provincial Children's Protection Fund, said: "Over the years, the province has received support from Operation Smile through programs providing free examinations and surgeries for children with craniofacial deformities. To date, more than 1,500 children in Nghe An have received intervention, giving them the opportunity to integrate into the community and continue their education like their peers."
According to statistics, Nghe An currently has over 13,000 children with special circumstances, including over 9,000 children with disabilities. “The need for examination, treatment, and surgery remains very high. The province hopes to continue receiving support from Operation Smile and other charitable organizations so that many children's dreams can become a reality.”
This year, the "Smile Surgery 2025" program is expected to provide free surgery for approximately 100 children with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other craniofacial deformities.
From December 5th to 9th, volunteer experts, doctors, nurses, and technicians from various hospitals nationwide will directly screen children with craniofacial deformities, carefully assessing them to select the most appropriate intervention plan. Afterward, these children will undergo free surgery, restoring their smiles and giving them the opportunity to integrate into the community.
In addition to medical interventions, the program also incorporates activities to improve oral health in schools and support children from disadvantaged backgrounds; many practical gifts have also been given directly to the children.
After more than 35 years of operation in Vietnam, Operation Smile has examined and treated over 75,000 patients nationwide. In Nghe An province alone, Hoan My Vinh Hospital has partnered with the organization for the past 7 years, successfully performing over 1,500 surgeries to correct facial deformities in children, opening up brighter futures for them.
Besides the "Smile Surgery" program, every year Hoan My Vinh Hospital continues to cooperate with the Nghe An Provincial Children's Protection Fund to organize screening and surgery for motor, urinary, and genital deformities in children in the area, contributing to improving the quality of healthcare for children in the province.
