Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan met with Chief Executive Officer of Operation Smile, William Magee, in Hanoi on November 17.
Praising the non-governmental organisation (NGO) for its work in Vietnam over the past 25 years, Doan said it had contributed to the Vietnam–US relations and helped nearly 115,000 Vietnamese children with disabilities to lead normal lives.
Magee said as the first NGO to work in Vietnam, Operation Smile was committed in the long term to providing free medical services.
The organisation is working with the Ministry of Health to apply the Global Standard of Care in the country, and hopes for the government’s support in bringing more skilled voluntary surgeons to Vietnam, the guest said.
As many as 150 free cleft lip and palate surgeries will be conducted on children in the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh from November 17-22
in an attempt to help them integrate into society and pursue their education.
The programme is jointly organised by the Operation Smile Organisation, Nghe An province’s Hospital 115 and fund for child care and protection.
In recent years Nghe An implemented a number of policies and programmes on child care and protection, especially for children with disabilities.
Over the past 20 years, the province mobilised over 178 billion VND (8.36 million USD) to help almost 80,000 children access medical services.
Additionally, 3,000 cases of optical malformation were treated and over 3,500 cleft lips and palates were operated on. The heart surgery programme saved the lives of 835 children living with congenital heart disease.
On the occasion, the Construction Corporation No 4 (CIENCO 4) gave 150 gifts to the children receiving surgery.
Operation Smile also ran a training course on “therapeutic language” for medical staff and officers of the provincial fund for child care and protection.
Nghe An is home to more than 200,000 people with disabilities.
