ABU DHABI - Burjeel Medical City hospital, the largest medical care facility under the banner of VPS Healthcare and located in Mohammed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi, successfully hosted a cleft lip and palate surgery medical program on 11 - 14 March 2022. Participating patients were aged from 3.5 months to 25 years old, from a range of countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Morocco, India, Egypt, and the Philippines who reside in the UAE. It is estimated that every three minutes, a child is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. Those who do survive may be unable to eat, speak, socialize or smile. In many cases their parents can’t afford to pay for the surgeries they need.

Dr. Sadir Alrawi, CEO of Burjeel Medical City, said,

“We were really privileged today to have Operation Smile working at our hospital in Burjeel Medical City. This was an opportunity to provide support to patients and their families who would otherwise have difficulty in accessing safe surgery. It is the first time this medical program has happened at our hospital, and we are extremely proud of the work that will be done, by our staff and the medical expertise from Operation Smile.” 

The program was in collaboration with Operation Smile UAE, an international medical charity which provides free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial anomalies. The doctors and physicians performing the surgeries were selected from Operation Smile’s network of local medical professionals. The charity has a global network of credentialed medical volunteers from over 80 countries, with a strong presence in the UAE. It has a strong reputation of working with local medical professionals, governments, hospitals and other NGOs, to provide ongoing medical care to communities.

Morag Cromey-Hawke, Executive Director for Operation Smile UAE stated, “Operation Smile UAE is delighted to have collaborated with Burjeel Medical City for the first medical program of 2022. It is always heartwarming to add new facilities and supporters willing to provide assistance to our patients who need our help. We believe that ‘ Every Child Deserves a Smile’ and now we know that Burjeel Medical City believes that too”.

Burjeel Medical City contributed significantly to the program, This extensive support includes the use of equipment, materials, and operating rooms at BMC. Post-operative nursing and care was provided to the 8 patients from Operation Smile medical volunteers, with assistance from BMC nurses and hospitality staff.

“We were fully prepared to support them at BMC, with assistance from Burjeel staff to support the patients at admission and pre-operative assessment, inside the operating room, and now all the way through to post-operative support.” commented Dr. Alrawi

The program began on Friday, 11 March, when patients arrived at the hospital for anesthesia check, lab work, and a PCR test. On Saturday, patients received surgeries for cleft palates and alveolar clefts. On Sunday, surgeries were provided for patients with cleft lip.

All patients were released from the hospital on Monday 14 March, after their recuperation was completed.

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About Burjeel Medical City 

Burjeel Medical City (BMC) is a 400-bed multi-specialty hospital and quaternary care centre located in Abu Dhabi, UAE. BMC offers high-quality specialised treatment and emergency care in over 39 adult and pediatric specialties, aided by state-of-the-art medical technology and an international team of experts certified by top global medical boards. With a total area of 1.2 million sq. ft, BMC is home to modern medical and administrative facilities, including the UAE's largest rehabilitation and long-term care centre Burjeel Darak, and the highly automated next-generation lab BMC Central Laboratory. Find more information at https://www.burjeelmedicalcity.com/