HUMANITARIAN MISSION TO MYANMAR 2018

From 24 November until 4 December 2018, Dr Alexis Verpaele and Dr Patrick Tonnard will once again leave on a humanitarian mission to Myanmar for VZW See & Smile. This time, the team consists of six plastic surgeons, three ophthalmologists, three dentists, three anaesthesiologists and six nurses.

This marks the twenty-second time that the two leave for the region under the banner of VZW See & Smile to help children with cleft lips and palates. This condition is common in these countries and should ideally be treated at an early age to prevent facial deformities later in life. In Belgium, a cleft lip is usually treated when a child is four to six months old, while a cleft palate is treated at the age of 1.5 years. Unfortunately, the required medical aid is often unavailable in countries such as Myanmar. That is why the See & Smile team organises various missions to these countries to help out where they can.

Since 2001, more than 2,000 children have been successfully treated.