MERCY VOLUNTEERS TO OPERATE CLEFT LIP KIDS IN BANGLADESH

BY: P.VIJIAN

NEW DELHI, March 2 (Bernama) -- Medical specialist volunteers from Mercy
Malaysia will be visiting Bangladesh to perform cleft lip and cleft palates
corrective surgeries on Bangladeshi children next week.

Mercy president Dr Jemilah Mahmood said a team of six doctors would be
in the nation's capital Dhaka, to perform surgeries on about 50 children, as
part of the organisation's healthcare programme, besides providing humanitarian
aid during disasters.

"We are working with Dhaka Community Hospital and we will be sending our
third mission to perform cleft lip and palate surgeries soon. We did an
assessment and found that in Bangladesh there is a high proportion of cleft
palate and cleft lips cases.

"This will be an appropriate time, with the current economic slowdown, many
may not afford to send their children for surgery. It is the right time to
extend our healthcare assistance," Dr Jemilah told Bernama.

Besides, the mission would be an opportunity for Mercy's voluntary doctors,
many who are specialists in repairing the congenital deformities, to perform
voluntary work in developing countries like Bangladesh, she said.

Last October, Mercy partnered with Dhaka Community Hospital to conduct a
weeklong free surgical treatment for cleft lips and palates for 50 children.

Mercy is not only sending a one-off mission to Bangladesh but also helps in
training doctors from the country to make it a long-term self-sustaining
programme in the South Asian country.

"Our mode of operation is just not to respond (during disaster) but also to
leave the community stronger.

"We try to build the expertise in the countries so that we don't have to go
on a long-term basis. We want to make it a sustainable project for the
community," said Jemilah.

-- BERNAMA