March 5-15, 2026, Operation International’s Cleft Repair Team will go to Houaphanh, Laos it's second surgery mission in the region. This will be my first time joining the team. Houaphanh is one the most underserved and geographically isolated provinces in Laos, where access to specialized surgical care is extremely limited due to widespread poverty, geographic isolation and a critical shortage of trained healthcare providers. Our team Aims to help fill this gap in care by providing life changing cleft lip and palate repairs for patients who would otherwise have no access to these surgical services. All people deserve to life full, healthy, and happy lives with equal opportunity regardless of where they are born or live. This mission will help the children of Houaphanh have that opportunity.
Untreated cleft lip and palate can lead to early death in infancy due to struggles with nutrition. For children who survive, unrepaired clefts can lead to lifelong feeding and speech difficulties, recurrent infections, social isolation, and reduced economic opportunities. Our team plans to provide cleft lip and palate repair to at least 60 patients from Houaphanh and surrounding provinces. In most setting, these surgeries are performed within the first year of life; however, in Houaphanh, many patients live with these conditions well into adulthood due to lack of access to care. Our aim will be to care for as many patients as can be done safely and with high quality in the time we have available.
The mission will have immediate, life changing impact by providing cleft lip and palate repair to 60 patients who otherwise would not have access to care, helping improve feeding, speech, overall health, and social integration. Beyond the surgeries, our team will work closely with local surgeons, anesthetists and nurses to share practical skills so care can continue after we leave. I am passionate about global surgery and improving access to safe surgery world wide. Going to a remote part of the world with limited access to care will help me further strategize how institutions and individuals in high resource environments can best support the growth of surgical care delivery remote and under-resourced locations
We were in Houaphanh province in Northern Laos where access to surgical care is very limited. We screened over 100 patients and were able to provide surgical care to 54 patients. Many were older and had never seen a doctor before. They were so kind and appreciative. The hospital staff were so welcoming and supportive. It was a blessing to be able to be one of the surgeons on this trip.
