ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 04th Oct, 2018) Operation Smile, the international medical charity which is being supported by H.H. Sheikha Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan, wife of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has conducted its second medical mission in Abu Dhabi, hosted by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, CCAD.
During its mission at CCAD, 12 children and adults received the transformative surgery that they so desperately needed on 10th and 11th August. The hospital made two operating rooms and medical equipment available to the charity’s international and local medical volunteer team, along with food and supplies for both volunteers and patients.
The second mission was supported by the Department of Health, ensuring that all international and local medical volunteers completed the correct licensure procedures and the support of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. It was also supported by Centro Capital Centre and Pearl Rotana Capital Centre, who have shown enormous support for Operation Smile UAE since 2011.
The foundation Operation Smile UAE, OSUAE, was established in January 2011 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Alyazia bint Saif Al Nahyan, wife of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and works to provide cleft lip and palate repair surgeries for children and adults all over the world. In addition to raising funds to perform the surgeries, OSUAE works to recruit medical volunteers and raise awareness about the condition.
Every three minutes, a child somewhere in the world is born with a cleft, and without surgery, many of the children, who survive, will likely have feeding difficulties, which could lead to malnutrition, or even starvation.
Since August 2018, Operation Smile UAE has received another 15 requests from new patients and their families to provide help and treatment for cleft conditions. They are already planning their next mission in the UAE. However, there are thousands of children in other countries, who are waiting for help from medical volunteers.
