Operation Smile has been working in Thailand since 1997, delivering free high quality cleft care to children living with cleft conditions. Over the last two and a half decades, we have provided over 15,000 patients with life-saving surgeries.
But there is more to do.
During Fiscal Year July 2025-June 2026, Operation Smile will invest $259,900 to deliver high-quality surgical care to over 790 patients and provide training for nearly 440 medical providers.
In the next five years, Operation Smile will provide approximately 4,550 patients with surgery and approximately 4,870 patients with comprehensive cleft care.
Cleft Care Programs
Operation Smile will provide cleft surgery for over 790 patients. We will expand comprehensive cleft care services by delivering consultations in oral health (1,000 patients) and speech therapy (405 patients). Patient management systems will be transitioned to an online platform supported by a mobile app, improving efficiency and access to care. Through art auctions, the annual Fun Run, and awareness campaigns, our student programs will raise visibility and build support for patients receiving cleft care.
Education Programs
As part of our effort to enhance the quality of health services in Thailand and increase access to cleft care, we will provide education and training to nearly 440 medical providers in the fields of surgery, anesthesia, burn reconstruction and biomedical technology. Workshops in plastic surgery and biomedical engineering will provide health workers with advanced skills to improve surgical outcomes. In collaboration with the American Heart Association, Basic Life Support training will equip providers with lifesaving skills for critical situations.
THE NEED
2.9 cases per 1,000. Thailand faces a high cleft prevalence, with 2.94 cases per 1,000 births. There is an estimated backlog of at least 2,540 children requiring cleft care.
Unequal access to care. Cleft care and specialized surgical services are concentrated in urban centers, which creates multiple barriers to accessing treatment for people living in rural areas. The medical workforce is unequally distributed across Thailand, with physician density in the central region 12-fold higher than that in the Northeast, an area with the lowest economic growth in all the country’s regions.
Shortfall of health workers. At the national level, there are just 13 specialist surgical workers per 100,000 people, which is significantly lower than the target set by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery of 20 providers per 100,000 people. There are three doctors, nurses and midwives per 1,000 people, falling below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 4.45.
BRINGING CARE CLOSER TO HOME
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 strengthen health system capacity by harnessing the talent and resources concentrated in larger cities, the hubs, to train providers in under-resourced areas, the spokes, where access to care is most limited.
Operation Smile’s hubs are located at Chiang Mai University Cleft Center in Chiang Mai and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok.
Operation Smile has a spoke at Mae Sot General Hospital in Mae Sot, where patients receive surgeries and burn care.
FIVE-YEAR VISION
In the next five years, Operation Smile will provide approximately 4,550 patients with surgery and deliver comprehensive cleft care consultations to approximately4,870.
Operation Smile will expand the availability and accessibility of comprehensive cleft care in Northern Thailand, an area with a high volume of patients living with untreated cleft conditions. We plan to expand our hub and spoke network to reach all eight northern provinces.
We will establish a pool of certified Thai biomedical technicians in collaboration with Mahidol University, offering annual didactic and hands-on training sessions.
In Thailand, nearly 60% of all burn cases are severe burn cases that require immediate medical attention and specialized treatment. Operation Smile will provide surgical and medical support for patients suffering from burns, ensuring they receive the care they need to recover and regain their quality of life. Operation Smile aims to extend acute burn care management to peripheral areas. This collaboration will provide training opportunities forburn unit staff through pressure garment workshops and one-on-one training for plastic surgeons. Additionally, we will train 500 first responders via a 3D burn training app.
Operation 100, our bold strategy to bring essential surgical care closer to patients’ homes, will impact Thailand as we equip a cleft operative team at Mae Sot General Hospital with advanced skills, essential equipment and enhanced health care infrastructure over the next five years.