Ho Chi Minh City hospital completes 20,000 free cleft surgeries

Ho Chi Minh City’s specialist dental and maxillofacial hospital has completed 20,000 free surgeries for cleft lip and palate, a long-running effort focused especially on children and families with limited means.

The milestone was announced on September 13 as the hospital opened renovated A4 and A5 facilities and received Vietnam’s First-Class Labor Order. Hospital leaders said the operations can help patients eat more easily, speak more clearly, attend school with greater confidence and participate more fully in community life. They also stressed that the total is not an endpoint, because more children and families are still waiting for treatment.

The achievement reflects years of cooperation among medical teams, specialists, organizations and individual supporters. Alongside its free surgery program, the hospital has expanded advanced maxillofacial treatment, research and training. It is also digitizing records, registration and patient-management processes to make care more convenient and accurate.

The upgraded A4 and A5 areas, comprising seven above-ground floors and a basement, are intended to provide more clinical space and support advanced diagnosis and treatment. City officials urged the hospital to keep pairing those technical gains with attentive, humane care, arguing that modern equipment cannot replace a clinician’s judgment, responsibility and compassion.