Operation Smile has delivered over 6,420 top-quality surgeries and carried out more than 60 surgical programs in Mexico.
THE NEED
Backlog of 6,000 patients. In Mexico, there is a backlog of around 6,000 patients requiring comprehensive cleft care.
Strained health system.With government spending just 5.4% of its gross domestic product on health, the country’s underfunded health system leaves behind many children born with cleft lip and cleft palate. While Mexico has well-renowned education institutions, there is a lack of formal training or education programs for cleft care. A study revealed that 48% of the population does not have effective access to health services.
Barriers to care in rural areas. 55% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs do not have a hospital within two hours of their home. Only 3.3% of hospitals are located in rural localities, which puts children living with cleft conditions at an even greater risk. Most providers work in urban centers, leaving people in rural areas without adequate care.
Limited surgical capacity. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery proposed that, to meet populations’ needs, countries should achieve 5,000 surgical procedures per 100,000 population. Although Mexico has made significant progress in enhancing specialized care and capacity, surgeons perform just 1,303 surgical procedures per 100,000 population.
Barriers to education and employment. Untreated cleft conditions can create lifelong barriers for patients. 58% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs said that their condition limited their school attendance, while 25% said that their school performance was impacted. Our survey also found that 74% of caretakers stay home with their child if the child has a cleft condition.
Financial barriers. 95% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs live below the poverty line and 44% have no health insurance. Operation Smile’s survey revealed that 61% of patients arriving at Operation Smile programs in Mexico could not have undergone surgery without the support of Operation Smile.
OUR FORMULA FOR TRANSFORMATION
Operation Smile’s formula for transformational impact combines care delivery & capacity-building.
Education programs are at the center of Operation Smile’s strategy to increase access to surgery closer to the patient’s home.
Each surgical program brings together providers from all over the world for a unique opportunity to share knowledge and innovate. This type of bi-directional learning is essential to redistributing knowledge between providers and building capacity in the areas of greatest need.
Our work in health infrastructure & equipment addresses structural barriers to care and helps build robust health systems. Operation Smile’s research & innovation efforts inform all aspects of our decision-making and allow us to have a comprehensive understanding of the impact our programs have on patients.
HUBS & SPOKES
To ensure that every child has access to care close to home, we equip the providers within our patients’ communities with skills and resources to deliver high-quality care. We build the needed capacity by harnessing the talent and resources that exist within the country, usually in the bigger cities, the hubs, to train providers in under-resourced areas, the spokes, where most patients lack access to care.
Operation Smile has a hub at Innovare Hospital in Guadalajara.
This year, our first spoke, Hospital de Alta Espesialidad in Yucatan, will provide care for patients. Another spoke has been identified in Chiapas and will be established within five years.
We deliver surgical care in Monterrey, Puebla, Chiapas, Guadalajara and Mexico City.
Operation Smile provides non-surgical cleft services in Nuevo Leon, Baja California Norte, Coahuila, Jalisco, Puebla, Mexico City, Colima, Michoaca, Oaxaca and Chiapas.
During Fiscal Year July 2024-June 2025, Operation Smile Canada will invest $294,497 accounting for 48% of Mexico’s budget, which will directly contribute to providing top-quality surgical care for over 720 patients and train 475 health workers.
Cleft Care Programs
Operation Smile will provide high-quality surgical care for approximately 720 patients. We will expand comprehensive cleft care by delivering consultations in oral health (460 patients), speech therapy (200 patients), nutrition (350 patients), ENT (100 patients) and psychosocial care (150 patients). Operation Smile plans to recruit 300 new patients with the help of partnerships with government agencies and through our system of online registration.
Education Programs
Investing in medical education strengthens health systems and creates positive health outcomes for children living with cleft conditions. This year, Operation Smile aims to train 475 medical providers in Mexico. We will deliver American Heart Association training courses for health workers across various specialties. We plan to recruit over 35 new volunteers in the fields of plastic surgery, anesthesia, biomedical technology, pediatrics, nursing, plastic surgery, nutrition and others.
FIVE-YEAR VISION
Over the next five years, Operation Smile will expand high-quality comprehensive care for patients living with cleft lip and cleft palate.
Operation Smile projects to provide surgeries for approximately 4,250 patients and comprehensive cleft care consultations to over 7,500 patients.
In the following five years, Operation Smile will provide American Heart Association training courses and training exchanges, which will include hands-on transfer of knowledge, clinical observations and workshops. Operation Smile volunteers will participate in the National Cleft Congress, the Dental Congress and the Speech Congress.
