By Bridget Brady
41421
Stewart
Chambers
A CRANBOURNE doctor who helped children in the Philippines undergo surgery to gain a new lease on life said the experience was the highlight of his career.
Doctor Andrew Ling joined a team of skilled plastic surgeons and anaesthetists who travelled to Baguio City late last year to perform free operations on locals who had visible body disfigurements, especially children with cleft lips and palates and severe scarring from burns.
The trip was organised through the Interplast organisation, which is made up of the combined efforts of Rotary International and The Royal Australian College of Surgeons.
Mr Ling, a member of the Rotary Club of Cranbourne, is the Interplast district chairman for the local area.
The team of surgeons undertook about eight to 10 operations on children and adults each day for the two weeks they were in Baguio City, and Mr Ling said observing the operations was a special opportunity for him. “To be there and actually experience the transformations and the grateful relations is just such a heart- warming experience,” Mr Ling said.
The high number of cases of children with burns could be due to their exposure to more primitive cooking methods such as wood fire stoves, playing with fire and congested accommodation, Mr Ling said.
While the number of cases of hair lips and cleft palates were not necessarily higher in the Philippines than in Australia, Mr Ling said children had no access to medical treatment in the Philippines and went untreated.
Children in Australia with a cleft palate would typically be operated on by the time they were one year old, Mr Ling said.
“But we saw kids as old as 10 or 12 that had not had anything done.”
He said the surgery was life-changing for the children. “They become a normal part of society again. Then they get their life back.”
Local doctors also learned techniques from the surgeons and left a legacy in the community, Mr Ling said.
“The worth of the trip continues.”
Mr Ling attended the trip as a Rotary ambassador and visited the local Rotary Club of Baguio North while on the trip.
He said the visit would not have been possible without the support from the Rotary clubs in the district, who raised $40,000 for the trip.
At least two teams are funded by the district each year, Mr Ling said.
“I’m just so proud of the district and all the work the Rotarians have done.”
