Mr Jonathan Wheeler Plastic Surgeon Volunteers His Time With Operation Smile

Jonathan has just returned from a charity surgical mission in Hunan province in China. He spent two weeks working with Operation Smile donating his time and expertise treating children and young adults born with Cleft Lip and Palate. Operation Smile is a large charity organization specialized in managing surgical missions around the world. It has branches in many countries and there is an Operation Smile China Medical Mission which organized and coordinated this effort. There were a total of 63 volunteers on the team with a total of 5 surgeons who were able to treat 120 patients, all with Cleft Lip and Palate problems. Other members of the team include anaesthetists, paediatricians, intensive care doctors and nurses. Jonathan was the only surgeon from New Zealand with the other surgeons coming from Shanghai and Kunming cities.

Operating

 

“It is a special feeling to be able to contribute to the care of patients in a meaningful way who come from a disadvantaged background. Working with doctors and nurses from China for a common goal of reducing the burden of the stigmata of cleft lip and palate deformity is a rewarding experience and I feel privileged to be able to contribute my skills in this way.”

This is Jonathan’s 5th charity surgical mission. He has also been to East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines.

If you would like to find out more information about Operation Smile, please visit the website www.operationsmile.org

 

On a ward round at the Traditional Medicine Hospital of Luiyang