Free surgeries for facial deformities set for S Reap
SMILE Cambodia, Military Region 4 Hospital, and several international partners, have announced that they will provide free surgeries next month to people born with cleft lips or palates and other facial deformities, in Siem Reap.
The free surgeries will be performed in cooperation with the Beedie Endowment Asset Management (BEAM) Fund from Hong Kong, Future Smile China, the Smile Mission in Singapore and Bright Faces in the US.
Chhut Cham, an administrator with Smile Cambodia, said his organisation has offered this kind of free surgery in the province before, but this was the first time the surgeries would be performed on the premises of Military Region 4 Hospital.
“The programme will last for four days, from June 13-16, with registration beginning at the hospital on day one.
Hospital stays and follow-up treatment will also be free of charge,” he added.
“There no special requirements for healthy adults, but there are several conditions for babies and toddlers,” he explained.
He said babies must be at least three months of age and weigh 6kg, while 10-montholds must weigh 10kg.
“Those who have undergone failed cleft lip or palate surgery are welcome to have them corrected at the hospital,” he added.
Smile Cambodia is a licensed NGO that provides free surgical care to children born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities. A member of the wider Smile Asia, it partners with the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh to provide monthly surgeries at the Smile Centre.
Since 2016, it has performed almost 5,000 surgeries in Cambodia.