MikeLigalig.com

An international team is now in Jolo, Sulu, for a week-long humanitarian activity dubbed as “Operation Sumbing,” a U.S. military official said.

U.S.JSOTF-P spokesman Maj. John Hutcheson said the Operation Sumbing, which started Monday and would end on Saturday, is aimed to bring life-changing medical treatment to children living with cleft palates and cleft lips.

Sumbing is the Tausug word for “cleft palate.”

Hutcheson said the Operation Sumbing, organized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Knightsbridge International and the JSOTF-P, brought together doctors from Operation Smile Philippines and Johns Hopkins University to perform free corrective surgeries for 37 children in Sulu province.

The surgeries are being conducted at the AFP Trauma Center in Camp General Teodulfo Bautista in the town of Jolo with post-operative care being provided by AFP and U.S. medical personnel.

Although research has yet to prove definitively what causes the birth defect of cleft lips and palates, the end result is a failure of a fetus’ head and face to finish developing in the womb leaving a gap in the upper lip and roof of the mouth, according to Dr. Jaime Flores, one of the Johns Hopkins surgeons.

“It’s a very visible deformity that can affect a child’s health, self-esteem and overall well-being,” Flores said.

For some, the difficulties associated with cleft lip or palate can be minor like the case of Nurhinda Nurmiddin, 13, one of those who availed of the Operation Sumbing service.

Nurmiddin’s mother, Majieda, said her daughter is an honor student but her daughter’s speech is somewhat affected.

Another surgeon from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, Dr. Jonathan Cohen, said that for others with more serious forms of the condition, daily life can be a struggle.

“They can have trouble eating or speaking. They’re often marginalized or shunned because of their deformities,” Cohen said.

Considering the impact on the child’s future, the surgical process itself is fairly simple, according to Lt. Jayson Bulanadi, an AFP nurse.

All in all, it’s less than 48 hours from the time a patient arrives at the clinic before he or she is released to go home with a brand new smile, Bulanadi said.

“When they arrive, we screen the patients, looking for colds or upper respiratory infections that may affect the anesthetic,” Bulanadi said.

“The patient and one guardian stay the night to allow for recovery and are discharged the next day,” he added.

Hutcheson said the operation itself can be as quick as an hour and a half, during which the surgeons piece together the “puzzle” of the patient’s lip or palate.

Hutcheson said that’s how long it took Dr. Flores and his team to repair the cleft lip of Shermina Singkay, the three-year-old daughter of Jolo native Muhila Singkay.

“She probably won’t even remember what she looked like,” Flores said.

For the doctors who donated their time to perform these surgeries, it has always been about giving kids a chance at a better life.

“This was neither a military event nor a political event, but a show of how we can come together to help,” Cohen said.

Brig. Gen. Eugenio Clemen, chief of the 3rd Marine Brigade, expressed gratitude to the participants of Operation Sumbing.

“Your generous concern for the poor and indigent is clearly evident in what you are selflessly doing today--restoring the faith, hope and confidence of our less fortunate citizen,” Clemen said.(PNA)

Linkback: https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=21261.0