Cobalt Hospital Cosmetic Surgeon and MAC Chair Mr Peter Hodgkinson, operates on patients with Cleft Palates in his NHS Trust, Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. Mr Hodgkinson recently visited Manilla to offer his services as a volunteer to operate on children with Cleft Palate on a ‘Cleft Charity Mission’.
Peter worked with a team from Australia, the Philippines and Ireland. After setting up the operating theatre on the first day, Peter and the team assessed and operated on over 50 patients, mostly children. Peter found the local staff to be very highly skilled and supportive. Most of the local nurses, like the international volunteers, had given up their own time to help and were working on their days off unpaid. Peter is a senior cleft trainer in the UK and was also able to train some local and international junior plastic surgeons under his direct supervision.
About the mission, Peter said:
‘I wish to thank Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for supporting me with time off for this mission and also those who provided technical support and equipment including Swann Morton, Molynycke, J&J(Australia) and Ramsay Health Care.’
