Dr Mark Lee is proud to be part of a global network of doctors who donates hundreds of thousands of hours toward the care of children around the world each year. An astounding 98 surgeries have been completed as part of his recent Operation Smile Australia mission in Vijayawada, India, this month.
Reconstructive Surgery for child’s Cleft Palate in India
India remains one of the most populous areas of the world with an estimated population of 1.1 billion. This yields an estimated 24.5 million births per year and the prevalence of children born with a cleft palate is somewhere between 27,000 and 33,000 per year.
In many cases, parents cannot afford the surgeries required to live a normal life – with their children facing difficulties with speaking, eating and socialising. Operation Smile Australia believes every child should have access to world-class surgical care – enlisting the support of medical professionals like Dr Lee all across the world.
Over the past 13+ years, Operation Smile medical volunteers have treated more than 22,000 patients in India alone.
Mark has been volunteering with Operation Smile and various other aid missions around the world for nearly 20 years.
Here is Dr Lee with one of his patients in India.
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