{"id":48782,"date":"2023-06-21T13:23:26","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T12:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mclinic.de\/aktuelles\/neuigkeiten\/uncategorized\/humanitarian-mission-for-deutsche-cleft-kinderhilfe-in-action-for-children-with-cleft-lip-and-palate-in-vietnam\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T13:23:37","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T12:23:37","slug":"humanitarian-mission-for-deutsche-cleft-kinderhilfe-in-action-for-children-with-cleft-lip-and-palate-in-vietnam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mclinic.de\/en\/aktuelles\/neuigkeiten\/aktuelles-en\/humanitarian-mission-for-deutsche-cleft-kinderhilfe-in-action-for-children-with-cleft-lip-and-palate-in-vietnam\/","title":{"rendered":"Humanitarian Mission for Deutsche Cleft-Kinderhilfe: In action for children with cleft lip and palate in Vietnam"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The two directors of the MCLINIC, PD Dr. Dr. Denys J. Loeffelbein and PD Dr. Daniel Lonic, traveled to Vietnam for the fourth time for a week on a volunteer basis to operate on children with cleft malformations of the oral and maxillofacial region after a two-year break due to corona.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A grueling, emotional and educational start to the Advent season lies behind our doctors. During the one-week mission from December 4 – 10, 2022, cleft children were operated on by a team of doctors from Germany, Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam on two operating days each in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The mission was divided into two surgery phases in Hanoi (December 5 and 6) and Saigon (December 8 and 9). On December 10, our doctors returned to Germany. The costs for flight and accommodation for the doctors were borne by the aid organization Deutsche Cleft-Kinderhilfe (DCKH), the time commitment was voluntary. In addition, the trip was accompanied by a professional photographer for the first time. Philipp Bachhuber also volunteered his time. <\/p>\n

Life-changing for everyone involved<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mockery, exclusion and social isolation is what children with cleft lip and palate have to experience. It is considered one of the most common congenital malformations worldwide. But affected children and parents also struggle with functional consequences: The interaction of the lip, tongue and palate muscles is disturbed, and there is also an altered position of the tongue, which shifts backwards into the cleft. Serious impairments are the result: swallowing and breathing, early phonation, and the timbre of the voice are affected. <\/p>\n

The operation, which costs the equivalent of around 300 euros, is not covered by health insurance in Vietnam. Parents usually have to find the money themselves, which is an insurmountable problem for many families. In addition, there is a lack of medical infrastructure and specialized personnel. Aid organizations such as the DCKH and the Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation (NCF) fill this gap in care by providing care for these children in Vietnam within the framework of voluntary projects and establishing long-term structures that solve the problem of underuse in the long term. The possibility of such treatment changes many things for the children and they get the chance for a “normal” life. <\/p>\n

The project in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City was initiated by PD Dr. Daniel Lonic,<\/strong>who worked at the craniofacial center of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan from 2014 to 2016 and had already participated in various volunteer missions with the NCF to treat cleft children, during which he became aware of the problem.<\/p>\n

Back in Germany, he contacted the Deutschen Cleft Kinderhilfe and initiated the project, whose honorary management he subsequently took over. Together with his colleague PD Dr. Dr. Denys Loeffelbein<\/strong>, he has been traveling to Vietnam every year since then, with the exception of the corona years 2020 and 2021. <\/p>\n

These missions regularly bring together an international team of doctors, who also work to expand the craniofacial center, train doctors and therapists, provide speech therapy and psychological support for affected children, and educate the community. In this way, everyone is working to improve the lives and environments of many people. And “that gives me a lot personally,”<\/em> says Dr. Loeffelbein. <\/p>\n

A mission full of ups and downs: Vietnam 2022<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many months of planning lie behind PD Dr. Dr. Denys J. Loeffelbein and PD Dr. Daniel Lonic.<\/strong> And although this is the fourth time they have traveled to Vietnam, each mission is different and they are always faced with new challenges – medical, logistical and personal. A curious fact: they do not need a visa for a humanitarian mission! <\/p>\n

On social media, the mission can be followed “up close and personal.” <\/strong>Reports, photo spreads and reels were published daily on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn during the mission and can still be viewed. And so a broad public was able to learn that in a project like this, even getting there is the first challenge. The journey to Hanoi did not go quite as planned. After flight cancellations and delays, the doctors had to take a detour via Bangkok. But when they arrived 20 hours later than planned, the next bad news followed: a suitcase did not make it to Hanoi. In it contained: Cuddly toys for the children, instruments and a pair of surgical glasses. There was no time to mourn this circumstance…. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A post shared by MCLINIC | MVZ Munich (@mclinic_munich)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>