THE LAO STORY: The Smile Train Enables Cleft Team to Forge Ahead
Harold McComb, F.R.C.S., F.R.A.C.S., F.A.C.S.
Princess Margaret Hospital for Children
Department of Plastic Surgery
West Perth, Australia
In 1995 the Australian ambassador to Laos, Mr. Roland Rich, noticed the prevalence of unrepaired clefts among the people of Laos, particularly in country areas. At his instigation and with funding from the Australian embassy a team from Interplast (Australia) went to Vientiane in 1996 specifically to treat clefts of the lip and palate. They were accompanied by three clinicians from Khon Kaen University in Thailand, who acted as interpreters.
Two local surgeons were designated to work with the Interplast team: an ENT surgeon and a paediatric surgeon. It was soon obvious that these two competent surgeons were keen to learn and perform cleft lip and palate surgery themselves. The Interplast team has returned to Laos to work for 2 weeks each year, and will make their eighth visit in 2003. During this time the expertise of the Lao doctors has increased dramatically. They have formed their own Lao Cleft Lip and Palate Team. The surgeons are Dr. Mouy and Dr. Keutmy; anaesthetist Dr. Vanpheng; and theatre nurse Mrs. Maniphet. Last year Drs. Mouy and Vanpheng visited the Cleft Lip and Palate Unit in Perth, Western Australia, for one month funded by a grant from Rotary Clubs.
Laos is an extremely poor country. A good deal of expense is involved for patients to travel to a center for treatment, as well as the cost of being fed and cared for in a hospital. At first we worked only in the Mahosot Hospital in Vientiane, but subsequently in order to reach the poor people in the provinces, the Interplast team and the Lao team worked together in the provincial centers of Luang Prahbang, Savannahket and Pakse. Now with increasing experience the Lao Cleft Team travels to the provinces themselves and repairs up to 200 cleft children in between Interplast visits.
The Lao treatment and training program has increased to such an extent that it has been difficult to find funding to continue this work. The Smile Train has now generously supported the program on 3 fronts: firstly by covering the costs of treating poor children in the provinces, secondly by providing equipment to enable this work to be performed safely (portable suction and pulse oximeters), and finally by facilitating further training in Laos. We are grateful for this.
