Godae Ansan Hospital Provides Medical Volunteer Service in Myanmar... Performs 26 Cleft Lip and Palate Surgeries

MOU with Myanmar Ministry of Health and Welfare

Korea University Ansan Hospital announced on the 13th that it conducted overseas medical volunteer work in Myanmar from the 29th of last month to the 5th of this month. The volunteer team gave new faces to patients with cleft lip and palate.

Korea University Ansan Hospital announced on the 13th that it conducted overseas medical volunteer work in Myanmar from the 29th of last month to the 5th of this month. The volunteer team is taking a commemorative photo with 26 pediatric patients who underwent surgery and their guardians.
[Photo by Korea University Ansan Hospital]

The overseas medical volunteer team consisted of a total of five medical staff, led by Professors Kim Deok-woo and Yoo Hee-jin from the Department of Plastic Surgery at Korea University Ansan Hospital, and Professor Park Ho-jin from the Department of Plastic Surgery at Korea University Anam Hospital. They performed a total of 26 cleft lip and palate surgeries over two days at a hospital located in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. The patients were mostly 2 to 3 years old, having missed the appropriate treatment period.

Cleft lip and palate, if not surgically corrected at the proper time, can result in persistent feeding difficulties and speech disorders. Additionally, mental stress due to appearance-related complexes and social withdrawal can negatively affect the patient's social development. Especially, the later the treatment is delayed, the more difficult correction becomes due to maxillary bone growth disorders, and speech disorders may worsen.

Professor Yoo Hee-jin stated, "Cleft lip, characterized by a split in the upper lip, is ideally operated on around 3 months after birth, and cleft palate, where the palate is split, is best treated around 12 months. While it is rare for patients in Korea to miss the optimal treatment period, it is unfortunate that in Myanmar, due to lack of medical infrastructure and economic reasons, many young patients are left untreated."

On the 3rd, the volunteer team also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports. Currently, foreign medical teams must obtain prior approval to perform free surgeries locally in Myanmar, but the approval process is complicated and time-consuming. Therefore, the volunteer team pursued signing the MOU with local government agencies before departure to ensure smooth continuation of volunteer activities in the future.

Professor Kim Deok-woo said, "When I think about children suffering from congenital facial deformities regaining bright smiles and how much this surgery will change their lives, I realize that medical practice holds value beyond mere treatment. Through this MOU with the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Sports, I hope that more local patients can benefit from medical care, and we will continue to do our best to keep our efforts to deliver hope ongoing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.