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Home Australia > News & PressNews & PressVolunteer Field Journal, USNS Mercy In Dili, Timor-Leste: Aug. 11-21, 2010“A day on the USNS Mercy hospital ship typically starts with "Reveille reveille, all hands heave out" – 6 a.m. sharp and it's a mad scrum for the showers and the chow hall before clattering back down the stairs for a windowless day of surgery. For the surgeons, anesthetists, dentist, nurses, speech therapist and support team, it's a day also broken up by strict meal times, desperate searches for a cover gown and countless journeys up and down stairs. For the Timorese, it's a day of new experiences - a first ever trip in an elevator, flushing toilets, more food than they could ever imagine, fluffy toys, glittery stickers and hopefully, by the time the call for "Lights out" comes around, the beginning of a normal life with a new smile. In August, a team of 40 volunteers, mostly from Australia, were able to be part of this experience for 56 Timorese babies, children and adults with facial deformities. Our mission started with screening at the Bairo Pte Clinic, a ramshackle series of buildings in one of the suburbs of Dili. Clinical photography, nursing, surgical, anesthetic, pediatric and dental evaluations were all done in one room followed by speech therapy in the great outdoors and blood sampling done on an old iron bed under the blue skies of Timor. Scheduling for surgery took place in a truly tropical way - under a palm tree, looked over by a gaggle of Timorese kids and the odd pig. Nearly 60 patients were scheduled and prepared to board the ship that dominated the sea view from Dili. It was "all aboard" the day before surgery was due to begin. That gave us time to set up our work areas, take a walk on the promenade deck, check out the (empty) shop, fill up on fried chicken and soft serve ice cream and get used to the cramped living conditions. Surgery week went smoothly - some patients that resonated with all of us, were a set of 9 month old identical twins, a baby born without eyes with a cleft lip and palate, and a young man who had an untreated infection that resulted in a hole in his face and loss of his nose. All of these patients, as well as 53 others, underwent successful surgeries. We were also very lucky to have Dr. Joao Ximenes, a Timorese surgeon, join us on the ship to assist and perform surgeries. The Dili 2010 team was tireless, adaptable and generally fabulous. We were our own version of the "Village People" having our "In the Navy" experience. Special thanks to a team that worked hard and left East Timor with a feeling of having been part of something very special. - Kate Cogill, Clinical Coordinator, Australian Operation Smile Medical Volunteer Joining an Operation Smile medical mission has been up there on my bucket list for a number of years, many excuses have conveniently blocked the way. It was with a mixture of anticipation and excitement that I arrived at Brisbane Airport early on Ekka Wednesday. After about five seconds I ran into (you couldn’t miss them) Hither (she is a kiwi), Princess Kate, Hosey and Sarah. Heather proceeded to unload a crate load of diathermy electrodes into my suitcase while laughing hysterically; this was to set the tone for the next 10 days. We arrived at Darwin airport and met up with the Adelaide crew which included Mark, Roger, Steve (one of three Steve’s on the mission), Erin, Lexie and Jessica. There was an opportunity to spend a couple of hours checking out Darwin Central including a great wave pool on the harbour foreshore. A pleasant evening was had by all with a team bonding session including some delicious seafood on the Darwin wharf. Thursday morning began before sunrise to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Dili, 1 hour later we were disembarking onto the tarmac at Dili airport. East Timor or as it is more correctly known, Timor-Leste has a population of approximately 1.2 million people, it is one of the poorest countries in Asia, the language is Tetum and the currency is the U.S dollar. Timor was colonised by the Portuguese in the 16th century, the original exports were sandalwood and coffee. After a quick bag drop at our accommodation the salubrious Timor Lodge we were delivered to the Bairo Pite Clinic run by Dr. Dan Murphy. One hundred plus patients were waiting outside Dan’s tiny consulting room and we took over some space at the back of the clinic to conduct our two days of screening. This process involves all potential patients passing through a series of stations including photography, weight, height, basic observations, recording of patient details and creation of medical records, surgical assessment, medical/anaesthetic assessment and venepuncture for full blood count. Saturday morning saw us packing our cruise gear and heading off to Dili harbour for a 10 minute ferry ride to the USNS Mercy. The Mercy is a US Navy hospital ship which started life as an oil tanker in 1976. The visit to Timor-Leste was part of the Pacific partnership 2010 program. The Mercy left her home port, San Diego in early May for a tour of six nations including Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The Mercy is capable of maintaining up to 5,000 units of blood and has a total patient capacity of 1,000 beds. Facilities on the US Mercy include several operating rooms, approximately 12 wards, an intensive care unit, recovery unit, pathology laboratory, and radiology services including a CT scanner. The next four days were busy. Patients were shipped across to the Mercy on the day prior to surgery, they were then checked in and identity wrist bands applied, pre-operative checks completed and fasting instructions clearly stated and repeated. The mission would not have been possible without the assistance of an enthusiastic band of Timorese interpreters. The mornings were busy preparing the post-op patients for their return to Dili. In general the patients having a cleft lip repair would stay one night post operatively while the ones having a cleft palate repair would stay two nights. Post-opeartive care generally involved fluid management, usually by mouth rather than IV, analgesics as required, a mixture of paracetamol (acetaminophen) and Nurofen and a number of patients receiving antibiotics for a few days. Virtually all of the patients other than an occasional adult had a parent or care giver with them. The US Naval personnel were invariably very helpful and supportive, we had around the clock assistance from one or two Corpsmen who were happy to mop floors, organise and empty rubbish bins, hand out meals, help with patient transfers, and assist with anything else we asked of them. 57 patients were operated on over a period of four days with a total of 98 procedures being performed. All went smoothly with no significant complications or adverse events. Life on the ship was interesting to say the least, with a wake up call through the ships speaker system including bells and whistles at 06:00, and a similar call shutting things down and turning most of the lights off at 22:00 hours. Sleeping facilities were basic and the bunks on the ship are not called “racks” for nothing, they are constructed in tiers of three with the amount of head room that can only be described as cosy. As one could imagine lining up for meals in the ships mess with several hundred other people including sailors of every shape and size was quite an experience. Would I recommend signing up for Operation Smile? Absolutely! The highlights for me were to be given the opportunity to work in a fantastic team of people with a common goal and worthwhile purpose. Special thanks to Heather, Kate, Richard and Vernon for their support and leadership. The visit to Timor–Leste was a wonderful opportunity and it certainly provided me with some perspective on my life and work in the Australian healthcare system which while not perfect has a lot going for it. I was also constantly reminded how fortunate we are to live in Australia, it is indeed a lucky country. In addition, you can read between the lines of my brief description of life on the US Mercy, however I would recommend that if you get the chance to join a mission on a hospital ship, grab it, and seize the day, as life is short. - Dr. David McCrossin, Pediatrician, Australian Operation Smile Medical Volunteer It is my honor to announce the results of the international mission aboard the USNS Mercy in Dili, Timor-Leste from August 11-21. We were able to provide 56 new smiles to Timorese in the capital of this relatively new nation. Amongst our medical volunteer team, there were nine countries and four U.S. states represented, which made for a truly diverse and wonderful team. We participated in the Pacific Partnership program and utilized three operating rooms aboard the United States hospital ship, the Mercy, which was a very unique and exciting opportunity. The volunteers all relished and welcomed the distinctive challenge and I really enjoyed being a part of it. Our team was able to provide 79 free medical exams and perform 98 procedures in four days. 48 patients and their families showed up for post-op and the results are impressive! There was one young family who left an indelible impression on our team. The parents had identical twins named Milton and Nixon who had both been born with cleft lips. The parents and the maternal grandmother traveled with Milton and Nixon from their home in the districts outside of Dili to see if Operation Smile could give their children new smiles. We were able to provide surgery for the twins and the family was extremely grateful. I am confident that they will never forget our team. Thank you to the volunteers and donors who, without their support, this mission would not be possible. Their dedication and effort is paramount to our efforts. Also, I would like to thank the U.S. Navy for inviting us to participate in this mission and we had great support from Dr. Trent Douglas and Tom Price, among others. Operation Smile Australia and Heather Moore did a great job recruiting volunteers and assisting with the logistics of the mission as did Melissa Hodges and I thank them for their hard work. Lastly, thank you to Anthony Draper and Diamantino Alves, who provided in-country support. - James Fox, Program Coordinator, Operation Smile - Photos by James Fox, Program Coordinator for Operation Smile Operation Smile Launches in SydneyOperation Smile Australia hosted over 120 supporters and guests to celebrate the launch of Operation Smile in Sydney. The event, held at the Chifley Tower in Sydney, raised $12,000, a total of 40 smiles for children born with cleft lip and cleft palate. This was possible due to the support of sponsors including Gold Sponsor ANZ and Silver Sponsors AMP Capital, Barclays Capital, Deutsche Bank, Markit, UBS, Westpac and Griffith University. The event featured a photographic exhibition by Operation Smile Australia volunteer Kelly Hussey-Smith. Her moving, large-scale photographs documented medical missions in East Timor, Papua New Guinea, India and China. The images, accompanied by the handwritten diary entries of Operation Smile volunteers, brought to life many of the life-changing miracles achieved by Operation Smile volunteers. Given the warm reception for this successful fundraiser, Operation Smile Australia is now planning future events and activities in Sydney. Exhibition photos by volunteer photographer Kelly Hussey-Smith. Event photos by sponsor Blue Murder Studios. The works are for sale; medium sized prints are $250, and large prints cost $500. Contact: exec@operationsmile.com.au Lions Australia Sponsors World Care Patient9 year old Sonny Jay Calanuga arrived from Davao in the Philippines in early March. Sonny Jay suffers from a condition known as an encephalocele and Doctors were unable to operate on him in his home country. Through the generous sponsorship of Lions Australia, Operation Smile Australia medical volunteers operated on Sonny Jay on Saturday 27 March at the Brisbane Mater Children’s Hospital. Sonny Jay is doing very well and is expected to remain in hospital for a week, then return to the home of Host Family, Emma and Joe Casado for a further 2-3 weeks. Tita, Sonny Jay’s Mother is thrilled with her handsome boy and very grateful to all the volunteers who helped make this possible both at home in Davao and in Brisbane. Tita had to leave her 4 month old daughter at home with her husband while she accompanied Sonny Jay to Brisbane.
Lions Australia Helps fund Operation Smile Australia’s Mission to CambodiaMarch 2010 --Operation Smile Australia, through funding from the Lions Australia, were able to fund 13 Australian medical volunteers to form part of an international cleft lip and cleft palate mission team in Cambodia. The volunteers came from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and travelled to Phnom Penh for the 10 day mission. The team screened 232 patients and performed 108 surgeries. In addition to funding the Australian volunteers, with this sponsorship from Lions, Operation Smile Australia was able to supply much needed medication for the patients as well as new sheets for the hospital. OR Nurse Joan Macrow, a member of the Managing club, Brisbane-Holland Park Lions Club was one of our medical team. This was Joan’s second international mission. We were also visited by Lions Cabramatta President, Ms Jenny Tew, who spent many hours at the hospital acting as an interpreter while helping the patients prepare for surgery. Thank you to all the wonderful medical volunteers who gave up their time and expertise so willingly, and to each and every Lions Club who have supported this program.
Lions Australia Raising Funds to Support Operation SmileLions Australia Raising Funds to Support Operation Smile At the recent national Multiple District 201 Convention of Lions Clubs International, a funding proposal put forward by district 201Q1, was accepted as a three year project ending 2012. Through this project Lions hope to raise $300,000 to support the mission work of Operation Smile. The Brisbane Holland Park Lions Club, as the Managing Club, will work with members of the Board of Operation Smile on this project. All monies donated by Lions, Lioness and Leo Clubs will be committed, totally, to the provision of the treatment of children and young adults with facial deformities. Operation Smile will also be given the opportunity to attend future District conventions, throughout the Country, to promote the work of Operation Smile and to show all Lion, Lioness and Leo clubs, and hopefully the general community, what is being done to help those people who need assistance. Tour de Thailand supports Operation SmileTour de Thailand is a annual ride traveling the 2,300km from Chang Mai in the north down to Phuket in the south, starting in early December and finishing in early January this is 28 days of amazing cycling in a beautiful country. Unlike normal cycling trips this is a charity ride focusing riders to raise money for Operation Smile, like Paul Hamon, Nattaree Opasanon and Brenton Collas (pictured) all ready to ride the Tour de Thailand this December and in the process hopefully raising over $7,500. More details about the ride can be found at www.tourdethailand.com, it's not to late to ride but you'll have to be quick or you can check out their sister ride in July the Tour de Isan which takes you through the remote north east of Thailand along the Mekong river. Don't be worried if you think 28 days is just too long to be away... riders that can opt to do the northern countryside or the southern beaches segment of the journey, creating an amazing 14 day holiday that will take a long time to forget. Video : http://tr.im/tourdethailand
Operation Smile Australia – Celebrating a Decade of SmilesFriday, 18 September 2009: Operation Smile Australia hosted over 130 supporters and guests to celebrate the opening of a unique photographic exhibition. Held at the Riverside Centre in Brisbane, the exhibition featured the work of Operation Smile Australia volunteer Kelly Hussey-Smith. Her stunning, large-scale photographs documented medical missions in East Timor, Papua New Guinea and China. Photojournalist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient John Rodsted officially launched the exhibition. Rodsted spoke passionately about his support for Operation Smile and emphasised his belief that everybody can make a difference. He described the exhibition of over 45 photographs as “world-class”. The photographic exhibition not only moved the audience, it transported them to another place. The images, accompanied by the handwritten diary entries of Operation Smile volunteers, brought to life many of the life-changing miracles achieved by Operation Smile volunteers. Some showed the simple hopes and joys of the children and their families, while others candidly depicted the hardships they had endured. For many the most powerful image featured a medical volunteer flying out after a mission. It was accompanied by her diary entry, reflecting on how sad it was to leave so many other needy children behind. Given the warm reception for this successful fundraiser, Operation Smile Australia is hoping to tour the exhibition nationally as part of its 10th Anniversary celebrations. (To view the photographic exhibition online click on this link. The works are for sale; medium sized prints are $250, approximately the cost of giving a child a new smile and large prints cost $500. Contact: exec@operationsmile.com.au) By Fleur Childs
Latest Field Journal - Davao, PhilippinesFebruary 20 - 27, 2009 Davao, Philippines The final numbers are in, the flights have departed and another "bonga" ("fabulous" in Tagalog) mission in Davao, Mindanao in the Philippines, has come to an end. A veritable rainbow of volunteers from the Philippines, USA, Australia, Norway, Italy, Ireland, the UK and Colombia, all banded together to screen 383 people and provide life changing surgeries to 153. Brokenshire Hospital, the Bahay Alumni and the UCCP for Social Concern played host to the volunteers for this mission and did an amazing job keeping everyone fed, housed and supported during the screening and surgical week, even down to supplying the durian (in many forms - fruit, ice cream and sweets) for the unsuspecting international volunteers to try. They were also a wonderful source of support to the patients, some of who travelled from areas of conflict within Mindanao Island, for an opportunity to receive cleft repair surgery. The two days of screening saw 383 people receive medical evaluations, 15 qualify for the world care program, and a surgery schedule established that would allow safe surgical objectives to be reached. Families arrived on foot, by bus, car and jeepney - an amazingly colourful form of public transport, in some instances, left over from the US presence in the Philippines during WW2 - still reliable and invaluable in getting our patients to us. Simultaneously, the guys from Biomed and other volunteers, worked tirelessly to set up the OR, PACU and post-op, ready for a safe week of surgery. We were fortunate that the team had a rest and relaxation officer, Dr Eric Cembrano (also moonlights as a dentist), who thought to prepare us for the surgical week, by taking us to the beautiful Samal Island. Once again, we were treated to the amazing hospitality of the Filippino people and had a great day diving, snorkeling, swimming, catching hermit crabs and underestimating the power of the tropical sun, before committing to the surgical week ahead - some of us a little pinker than when we began! Surgery week was intense and amazingly fulfilling. 153 patients and their lives were forever changed and 52 volunteers had the fortune to be witness to this special kind of magic. One moment that will stick in my mind was on the morning of the second day of surgery. The team was walking into the hospital and one of the little boys who had his cleft lip repaired the day before, was waiting with his mother at the stairs. When he saw us walk in, he ran to the team with his arms open saying "Salamat, Salamat" (thank you in Tagalog), hugging, kissing and dispensing smiles and happiness wherever he looked. When I got my turn to cuddle, he said to me "I love you Ma'am Kate" (well taught by his mum) and gave me a huge (and ointment covered) kiss on the check. It was the perfect way to start a new surgical day. All in all, the 2009 Davao mission was the happiest of happy missions. We worked hard, but we also laughed hard. Some even karokeed hard.... but the incredible sense of community and teamwork nurtured by our team leader Dr Jojo Cembrano can be summed up in one of the songs played at our final party - "We Are Family" - with 153 new members. Kate Cogill, volunteer Recovery Room Nurse
Smile NewsletterNext edition of Operation Smile Australia's quarterly newsletter for release October 1st The next edition of Smile Newsletter is about to go to the printers, and is packed full of interesting articles and news from recent months. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Medical MissionAugust 3 - Following on from the success of our first mission to Timor-Leste in July, Operation Smile Australia was again given an opportunity to be involved with the inaugural cleft lip and cleft palate mission to Papua New Guinea. From August 3-16, Operation Smile volunteers joined the USNS Mercy in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, and we were met again with an extremely positive response from the local community. Operation Smile was able to provide 74 children and adults with free reconstructive surgery. The volunteer medical team of 36 volunteers was from Australia, China, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The team spent four days aboard the USNS Mercy working side by side with the Navy medical team. The Rotary Club of Port Moresby, Oil Search PNG Limited, Medent, and other volunteer members of the community were instrumental in helping to locate and coordinate the patients. Following a late withdrawal from Dr David Chong, a plastic surgeon from Melbourne who had been taken ill, Jonathan Wheeler flew at late notice to join the team for two days of surgery. All were extremely grateful for his contribution, especially as he had been a member of the team that was in Dili only a few weeks earlier.Many had flown for two days to reach Port Moresby. This length of travel, though, would pale into insignificance next to the journeys that some of the children experienced to get to the mission site. Medical evaluations were held on the 5th & 6th of August at Port Moresby Hospital. Our team was greeted by a large group of patients and their families. Those who were not able to be seen on the first day were asked to return, and they did. By the end of the second medical evaluation day a total of 160 children, teens and adults were seen by the team. It was at the beginning of the second medical evaluation day that we were notified of a group who were to arrive from the islands surrounding Lihir, an island renowned for its gold mines, and whilst Lihir is easily accessible by air, it would take 2-3 days of constant travel by various modes to reach otherwise. So it was that a small group of 12 adults and children arrived late on our last day medical evaluation day. They had left their homes on the morning of August 2nd, and travelled by canoe to reach the mainland, through high seas crossing some of the busiest trade and ferry channels in the South Pacific. They met us on the 6th, weary, but pleased that they would have their chance to be seen by the Operation Smile team. Similar to the Dili mission, what proceeded screening was evidence of a ‘well-oiled machine’, a unity of force between one of the world’s most powerfully coordinated organisations, the US Navy, and one of the world’s largest children’s medical charities used to operating in these unfamiliar environs, Operation Smile. With a number of respected teams working with you to achieve success, it really does make our work easy when it comes to coordinating a mission of this calibre. Operation Smile Australia is proud of its efforts in contributing to the success of this mission. Special thanks to Richard Pickworth, Meddent; Alan Wilson, ANZ; Jon Pittar, Colgate PNG, and; Dr Ronelle Welton, Oil Search. Operation Smile Australia Volunteer Team – Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea Medical Mission Paediatrician: Dr Susan Moloney Plastic Surgeon: Dr Jonathan Wheeler OR Nurse: Courtney Richardson Pre & Post Op/Recovery Nurses:Clare Bourke, Sue Pitman, Louise Spooner-Jackson Speech Pathologist:Gabriella Constantinescu Photographer: Kelly Hussey-Smith Medical Records: Colin Hackwood
Sony Electronics Helps Children SmileIn the month of August, Sony Electronics is conducting a retail promotion for Sony Cyber-shot® cameras featuring Smile ShutterTM technology at Sony Style® Stores, Sonystyle.com, and other participating retailers. Through this effort, the company will make a $100,000 donation to Operation Smile. The funds will be used to provide free physical examinations and reconstructive surgeries for children suffering from cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Sony is also donating Cyber-shot digital cameras to help Operation Smile volunteers capture smiles at more than 30 mission sites around the world. Equipped with Sony’s distinctive Smile Shutter technology, the cameras automatically capture a smile when the feature is activated, without having to press the shutter button. The result is snapshots with natural-looking smiles and expressions. “It’s a precious moment when a child comes out of surgery with a new smile, so you don’t want to miss it and you want to get it right,” said Mike Fasulo, Chief Marketing Officer and Corporate Social Responsibility Officer at Sony Electronics. “Sony is in the business of preserving precious memories like these with our industry-leading digital imaging products and we are a proud supporter of Operation Smile.” Headquartered in San Diego, Sony Electronics is a leading provider of audio/video electronics and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Learn more at: Sony.com
Operation Smile Australia Joins USNS Mercy as Part of Four-Month Southeast Asia DeploymentPacific Partnership 2008 Dili, Timore-Leste Medical Mission July 16 - The team of 30 volunteers, hailing from Australia, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the United States, spent four days aboard USNS Mercy to work in collaboration with the Navy medical team. The team provided life-changing surgery to 76 Timorese children and adults. The United Nations, Plan International, Aspen Medical, the Ministry of Health Timor-Leste, and other volunteer members of the community came together to assist Operation Smile in locating and coordinating patients as they made the treacherous journey from remote, mountainous districts of Timor-Leste. Our team of 17 Operation Smile Australia volunteers left Brisbane bound for Dili in Timor-Leste, via Darwin. This was our first team to join the USNS Mercy for a medical mission. Flying into Dili from Darwin, we greeted by UN Police at the airport, and soon enough, we spotted the magnificent Mercy moored in the harbour. Contingents of UN Police Officers from countries including Australia, Brazil and Singapore work tirelessly to help the people of Timor-Leste re-build their war-torn country. During our stay, Aussies Senior Sergeant Janet Mitchell and Senior Sergeant Peter Davey transported many of our patients to and from the mission site and, together with the Singapore contingent, supplied food for the families during the two days of screening of 92 patients. Singapore Contingent Commander, Sng May Yen, and her 20 fellow officers were so moved by the change in our young patients and the work of our volunteers, between them they collected and presented us with a cheque $2,300. Sgt Yen said “Many of us have witnessed the noble work of Operation Smile staff during the visit by the US naval ship Mercy in Timor-Leste. We have immense admiration for you and your fellow colleagues’ dedication, commitment and professionalism in carrying out the enormous tasks of volunteering your time and effort to those in need”. The US Navy welcomed us with open arms, and we were immediately integrated into ship life. Female sleeping quarters were 48 metal steps down from the chow hall, then it was up 36 again to the operating room level. We also learnt to sleep on narrow metal bunks. Each morning at 6:00 a.m. we were woken with reveille – apart from those who set their alarms earlier so they could slide out of their bunks backwards gracefully or wanted to be first in line for the shower! At the end of the day, there were lovely sunsets on the deck and night practice for the choppers. Together with this unique opportunity of 'navy life', the opportunity to witness a whole new 'UN world' and the absolute joy and gratitude from the lovely people of Dili, this will be a mission that none of our volunteers will forget in a hurry. The United Nations, Plan International, Aspen Medical, the Ministry of Health Timor-Leste, and other volunteer members of the community came together to assist Operation Smile in locating and coordinating patients as they made the treacherous journey from remote, mountainous districts of Timor-Leste. Operation Smile Australia Volunteer Team – Dili,Timor-Leste Medical Mission Team Leader: Dr Richard Lewandowski Plastic Surgeon: Dr Jonathan Wheeler Anaesthetists: Dr Vernon Moo & Dr Anna Miedecke Clinical Co-ordinator: Donna Franklin Trainee Clinical Co-ordinator: Lee O’Malley Orthodontist: Steve Atkin Speech Pathologist: Katie Walker-Smith OR Nurses: Rosie Borey, Peta McIntyre & Vicki Livett Pre & Post Op/Recovery Nurses: Kate Cogill, Karen Hose & Helen Katterns Photographer: Kelly Hussey-Smith Medical Records: Kate Watson & Heather Howard
Operation Smile Supports WHO Safe Surgery Saves Lives InitiativeOn June 25th, Operation Smile participated in the global launch ceremony of the World Health Organization’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives Initiative. Hosted by Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, WHO Regional Director for the Americas, the event highlighted the WHO’s new global campaign to improve the safety of surgical care. The event was attended by ministers of health and world leaders in surgery, anesthesiology and nursing joining together to focus on reducing deaths and complications from surgery globally. During the ceremony, Dr. Randy Sherman, Operation Smile’s Chief Medical Officer, formally announced Operation’s Smile endorsement of the new WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. The list includes simple safety checks that the WHO team has shown could halve the rate of surgical complications. The list is intended to improve anesthetic safety practices, avoid infections and improve communication among members of surgical teams. Operation Smile is one of almost 200 surgery, anesthesia, nursing and patient societies formally endorsing the checklist. Major surgery now occurs at a rate of 234 million procedures per year - one for every 25 people - and studies indicating that a significant percentage result in preventable complications and deaths. "Preventable surgical injuries and deaths are a growing concern," said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. "Using the checklist is the best way to reduce surgical errors and improve patient safety." Operation Smile’s involvement in the WHO Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative is part of the organization’s broader efforts to advocate for and provide high quality, safe surgery in developing countries. For more information on the Safe Surgery Saves Lives Initiative, please see: http://www.who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/en/
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