PRESS RELEASE
April 6, 2008
Office of Caloocan City Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri
Ref. Public Information Office
Telefax 3244644

CALOOCAN City Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri yesterday advised residents with cleft lip or cleft palate to avail of the free surgery being offered by the city government in partnership with foreign doctors and nurses.

According to Echiverri, “Operation Restore Hope” is now on its fourth year of bringing back the smile to the faces of residents and successfully making their lives as normal as possible.

“Residents with cleft lip or palate need only come to the President Diosdado Macapagal Medical Memorial Center for their preliminary medical evaluation that is also being provided free of charge,” Echiverri said.

The mayor said once they are given a clean bill of health by city government medical personnel, they would be immediately considered candidates for surgery.

Echiverri said the operation is available to all Caloocan residents regardless of age, sex and extent of their deformity.

For her part, city health officer Dr. Raquel So-Sayo said some 20 doctors and nurses would be coming from Australia and New Zealand to perform the surgeries at the PDMMMC.

“Some of the surgeons and anesthesiologists on this medical mission in partnership with the Alay sa Kabataan Foundation are Filipinos who have been naturalized by their respective countries,” So-Sayo said.

She added that recovery time for each cleft lip or palate or operation is between two to three days confinement which is also provided free of charge by Mayor Echiverri at the PDMMC.