Forty-five patients born with cleft conditions are set to receive free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries in Cebu this October as Watsons Philippines and Operation Smile Philippines continue their long-running partnership to expand access to cleft care.
The surgical mission is part of Watsons Philippines’ goal to facilitate 185 free cleft surgeries this year, marking the 185th anniversary of the Watsons brand.
Watsons Senior Manager for Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Alisandrea Coloma said the company has partnered with Operation Smile Philippines (OSP) since 2013 through its Operation Give a Smile program.
“Now, Watsons and Operation Smile Philippines have been a long-time partner in doing surgical missions like this. As a matter of fact, the partnership started back in 2013. So it’s already been 13 years,” Coloma said.
She said the program forms part of Watsons’ sustainability initiatives focused on bringing health services closer to communities.
“Meaning really helping out communities, bringing health closer to those who need it the most,” Coloma said.
Coloma said Watsons is targeting 185 surgeries this year to expand the number of patients who can benefit from the program.
“So we really wanted to be able to stretch the number of patients that we can help,” she said.
By the end of the year, the partnership is expected to have facilitated 2,689 surgeries, Coloma said.
For Watsons Director for Sales Operations Maria Adelfa T. De Ramos, the medical mission reflects the company’s goal of making a positive impact on the people it serves.
“It’s really meaningful because it’s very much aligned with our mission of putting a smile on our customers’ faces,” De Ramos said.
“As we work with the OSP team, we’re also putting a smile on the faces of these children. And that smile comes with a hope, and we also help transform their lives,” she added.
De Ramos said the program’s impact extends to the families of patients who undergo surgery.
Operation Smile Philippines Executive Director Miriam Delos Santos said Cebu’s location makes it an important site for the organization’s surgical missions because it is accessible to patients from other parts of the Visayas.
“Being here in Cebu really matters to us because, for one, Cebu is a central area, is a central location for those in the Visayas,” Delos Santos said.
The patients in the current surgical program come not only from Cebu but also from neighboring areas, including Samar, Tacloban and Negros.
Delos Santos said the Cebu mission helps OSP reach communities where access to cleft care may be more difficult, with Watsons also helping expand the program’s reach through its network of stores.
She stressed, however, that cleft care does not end with surgery because some patients require continuing support as they grow.
“We also provide speech therapy, nutritional assistance, and even, you know, assistance to the families, because it really takes a village to form the children, to help the children beyond the surgery,” she said.
OSP also assists patients and their families with transportation and accommodation during screening and treatment, as well as food, nutrition and other support based on their needs.
“We don’t put the burden of the expense on the patient and the family,” Delos Santos said.
She said OSP and its partners shoulder the costs so financial limitations would not prevent patients from accessing comprehensive cleft care.
“The desire really is to make sure that, you know, it doesn’t become a limitation for them,” she said.
Both OSP and Watsons said their partnership will continue as they work to provide comprehensive cleft care to more patients and their families.
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