MALAYSIAN-LED SMILE CAMBODIA TRANSFORMS LIVES OF KIDS WITH FACIAL DEFORMITIES 

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, May 18 (Bernama) -- A prominent Malaysian banker-turned-social worker brings joy to many rural Cambodians who had previously isolated themselves from society due to congenital facial deformities.

Children and adults who once lived with birth defects, such as cleft lips and palates, can now smile with confidence and interact with their friends and families free from stigma. 

This life-changing transformation is largely credited to Chan Kok Choy, the Vice-Chairman and Executive Director of Smile Cambodia, who has relentlessly led his team to carry out numerous surgical missions.

“It gives me happiness to see these patients smile again and their families happy. As Malaysians, we seldom see many people with cleft lip problems (in Malaysia) because our medical care is good. 

“Cleft lips and palate deformities are not something difficult to treat, it can be done in an hour, and the recovery is fast,” Chan told Bernama in an interview in the capital recently.

Chan, who previously headed a major Malaysian bank in Phnom Penh and later led a Cambodian bank, has been at the helm of Smile Cambodia since 2015. 

Smile Cambodia is a member of Smile Asia, an international alliance of charities that provides free surgery to children born with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities.

Smile Cambodia was established after Operation Smile Cambodia ceased its operations in Cambodia in early 2015. Operation Smile and Smile Cambodia have conducted nearly 5,700 operations in total in the Kingdom so far. Chan was also the chairman of Operation Smile Cambodia.

Smile Cambodia alone has provided free surgeries to more than 2,089 Cambodian patients. The patients treated ranged in age from three months to 81 years old.

“These surgeries significantly transform their physical appearance and they (patients) are very appreciative. I feel so touched,” said the passionate banker. 

Smile Cambodia initiated a surgical mission at the Kampot Provincial Referral Hospital in Kampot province from May 1 to 3, its third mission this year. 

This was the 14th time Smile Cambodia collaborated with the Rotary Club of Likas Bay, Senawang, Kuching Central, Penang, and LuChou Taiwan. 

“During this three-day mission, 45 patients were screened and 30 received their life-changing operations with success. The remainder were either too young or did not meet our minimum criteria for a safe surgical procedure,” said 65-year-old Chan, who grew up in Kampar, Perak.

Chan and his dedicated team are not only helping Cambodians suffering from congenital abnormalities, but are also including speech therapists and orthodontists to support patients in post-surgery recovery.

“Besides treating the patients, we want to improve their speech capabilities. They also suffer from speech defects and many children suffer from low self-esteem because of this,” he said.

The organisation also plans to expand its services to include treatments for other conditions, such as microtia (a deformity of the outer ear) and burn injuries.

 -- BERNAMA