Operation Smile UAE Collaborates With Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi For Free Cleft Surgeries

Operation Smile UAE, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of the M42 group, is organising a surgical initiative to provide free cleft lip and palate surgeries. This programme will benefit 17 surgical candidates and offer dental care to several others. Running until 21st October 2024, this marks the eighth time Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has hosted such an event, highlighting their dedication to providing essential surgical care in the UAE.

Cleft lip and palate are among the most common birth defects globally, presenting significant challenges. These conditions develop during pregnancy due to genetic and environmental factors. They can affect a child's ability to eat, speak, and hear, leading to social and emotional issues. Operation Smile UAE addresses these challenges by offering comprehensive care that includes surgery, dental and orthodontic services, speech therapy, and psychosocial support.

This programme aims to meet a critical need in the UAE where many families lack access to cleft care. It offers hope and healing to children from four months old to adults of various nationalities living in the UAE. A dedicated team of 46 medical volunteers from hospitals across the UAE will donate their expertise in surgery, anaesthesia, nursing, speech therapy, dentistry, orthodontics, and other vital areas.

Dr. Mahdi Shkoukani leads as Field Medical Director. He is a Department Chair at Otolaryngology (ENT) and Head & Neck Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Dr. Shkoukani is also an internationally recognised Operation Smile volunteer. He highlighted the transformative impact of these surgeries and stressed advancements in medical technologies alongside multidisciplinary care's importance.

Supporting the medical professionals are ten high school student volunteers and numerous caregivers from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. This demonstrates a community-wide commitment to this crucial cause. The clinic's contribution includes two operating rooms, a recovery room, a patient ward, dental chairs, medications, medical supplies, and meals for volunteers and guardians.

"We consider ourselves truly fortunate to have access to a dedicated team of medical experts from hospitals across the UAE," said Morag Cromey-Hawke, Executive Director of Operation Smile UAE. "Only through the continued efforts of our Operation Smile Medical Volunteers and partnerships such as these is Operation Smile UAE able to continue to change the lives of those most in need."

Impactful Surgeries

Correcting a cleft lip can take just 45 minutes while repairing a cleft palate may require about 90 minutes. Despite their brevity, these procedures have lifelong impacts on patients' lives. One parent expressed gratitude after their child's surgery at a previous Operation Smile programme at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi: "Seeing my daughter's new smile… I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. It's more than her smile that's changed; it's her whole sense of self."

With inputs from WAM