Wednesday, November 07, 2007 Operation Smile reels off Wednesday
THE prevalence of cleft lips and cleft palates in Southern Mindanao is one of the reasons why the city was chosen as one of the site for the 25th year anniversary medical mission of Operation Smile.
Starting way back in 1982 in Naga City, Operation Smile has gone a long way in putting a smile on the faces of over 20,000 Filipino children and 100,000 more in foreign countries who have cleft palates and cleft lips.
"What started in a small city in Luzon has now reached the far ends of the world," Dr. Laurence Loh, President of Operation Smile, said in an interview Monday.
He added: "Davao City has been chosen as one of the sites due to the number of cases here."
Loh clarified that the cases are not from Davao City, but that the city's accessibility to Mindanao areas make it the best site to hold a major activity in.
On the average, Operation Smile is able to cater to at least 240 to 250 patients in each of their missions in the city.
For its 25th year anniversary, Operation Smile will be conducting medical missions in over 40 sites in 25 countries from Asia to as far as Africa and South America.
In Davao City, the medical mission will start Wednesday until November 11. Other cities in the Philippines include Makati and Naga City.
