Operation Smile UAE, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to provide cleft surgeries

Operation Smile UAE, in partnership with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, will provide free cleft lip and palate surgeries to 17 surgical candidates and dental care to several dental candidates.

The programme, which will run until October 21, marks the eighth time Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has hosted an Operation Smile surgical programme, a testament to their ongoing commitment to providing access to critical surgical care for those in need within the UAE.

Cleft lip and palate, the third most common birth defect worldwide, present unique challenges. These conditions, which arise during pregnancy due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, can impact a child's ability to eat, speak, and hear and can also lead to social and emotional difficulties.

Operation Smile UAE addresses these challenges by providing not only surgical intervention but also comprehensive care, including dental, orthodontic, speech and language therapy, and psychosocial support.

This programme will address a critical need within the UAE, where many families do not have access to cleft care. The programme will bring hope and healing to children ranging in age from four months old to adults, representing a variety of nationalities residing in the UAE.

A dedicated team of 46 medical volunteers from hospitals across the UAE, specialising in surgery, anesthesia, nursing, speech therapy, dentistry, orthodontics, and other critical areas, will be donating their time and expertise.

Leading the team as Field Medical Director is Dr. Mahdi Shkoukani, a Department Chair at the Otolaryngology (ENT) and Head & Neck Surgery in the Surgical Subspecialties Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and an internationally credentialed Operation Smile volunteer.

Dr. Shkoukani emphasised the transformative impact of these surgeries, noting the advancements in medical technologies and the importance of multidisciplinary care.

Supporting the medical professionals are ten high school student volunteers and numerous Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi caregivers, demonstrating a community-wide commitment to this vital cause.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's contribution includes two operating rooms, a recovery room, a patient ward, dental chairs, medications, medical consumables, and meals for the volunteers and guardians, ensuring the highest quality of care.

"We consider ourselves truly fortunate to have access to a dedicated team of medical experts from hospitals across the UAE, world-class healthcare resources, and state-of-the-art facilities, all made possible through institutions like Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi," said Morag Cromey-Hawke, Executive Director of Operation Smile UAE. "Only through the continued efforts of our Operation Smile Medical Volunteers and partnerships such as these is Operation Smile UAE able to continue to change the lives of those most in need."

Correcting a cleft lip can take as little as 45 minutes, and a cleft palate repair can be completed in approximately 90 minutes, yet these procedures have a lifelong impact.

As one parent shared after their child's surgery at a previous Operation Smile programme at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, "Seeing my daughter's new smile… I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. It's more than her smile that's changed; it's her whole sense of self."