Operation Smile to have space at CCMC

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is planning to give Operation Smile one whole floor at the new Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

This was mentioned during Rama’s meeting with the CCMC Task Force on Thursday, March 17, 2022.

“The direction of the mayor is the whole floor will be for Operation Smile,” said Rama.

Operation Smile is an international medical charity whose global network of thousands of credentialed medical volunteers from more than 80 countries is dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children from more than 60 countries.

It is known to provide free reconstructive surgeries for patients with facial deformities, especially with cleft lips and palates.

In the report of the Cebu City Public Information Office, Operation Smile Executive Director Emiliano Romano welcomed Rama’s pronouncement.

He said they need between 1,000 to 1,400 square meters for their facility.

“In Operation Smile, our focus is on comprehensive care. The surgeries are only 10 percent of the whole comprehensive care,” said Romano.

Aside from surgeries, they also provide comprehensive care based on each child’s needs including speech therapy, nutritional support, dentistry, orthodontics and psychosocial support.

Romano said they target to do 50 to 100 cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries per month in the facility they will establish within the space allocated for them.

He said that in the Visayas alone, there is an estimated 45,000 people with cleft lip and cleft palate.

In the same meeting, Rama told the CCMC Task Force that he wants the hospital to be completed by June 30.

He reminded the group that he started the new CCMC project in 2015 yet until now, it has not been finished.

Rama wants the structure of the building’s remaining floors to be completed before his assumed term ends. — FPL (FREEMAN)