Jamie Smith
Media Relations
Email: jamie.smith@molnlycke.com
Phone: +46 723 757507
Mölnlycke Health Care and Operation Smile help to change people's lives with newly inaugurated cleft care centre in Philippines
The centre is expected to serve 10,000 patients in the region with transformative cleft care in the first three years of operations.
Gothenburg, Sweden. 19 November 2024.
The Cebu Comprehensive Cleft Care Center of Excellence is now officially inaugurated. This milestone is a result of the longstanding partnership between Mölnlycke and Operation Smile – a global non-profit charity organisation. The centre will bring comprehensive care to people born with a cleft lip or palette (CLP) in the region and is expected to serve 10,000 patients in the first three years of its operations.
The incidence of babies born with cleft lip and cleft palate is higher in South-East Asia than in other regions globally. The new clinic will offer life-changing surgeries and comprehensive cleft care to patients in the region where access to healthcare services is difficult.
“The support from Mölnlycke in establishing the centre is grounded in our commitment to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all and the vision we have for achieving sustainable healthcare. A part of this vision is making the centre self-sufficient, and that includes raising the level of knowledge of the local healthcare professionals in the areas where Mölnlycke can offer expertise”, comments Eric de Kesel, COO & EVP Sustainability, Mölnlycke. “Cleft patients continue to be stigmatised and we are delighted to be able to contribute to changing their lives and fully including them in society,” he adds.
“This clinic is a milestone for us, but also for cleft care globally, as it is also a training hub. In a rather lengthy construction project, our partner Mölnlycke has supported us financially while, in parallel with the construction, we have jointly created and rolled out a training programme with innovative methods and solutions,” says Emiliano Romano, Executive Director, Operation Smile Philippines. “Together with some of our volunteers, clinical specialists from Mölnlycke are training the local healthcare professionals in areas such as infection prevention.”
The Cebu Comprehensive Cleft Care Center of Excellence is located at the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) hospital, in the Philippines. It is a 2,000 m2 state-of-the-art facility providing an optimal environment for delivering comprehensive CLP services, including speech therapy, dental and psychosocial care - in addition to the areas supporting the surgical flow, in alignment with the vision of surgical care that Mölnlycke and Operation Smile share. It is also fully manned by the local healthcare workers.
-Ends-
For more information, please contact:
About Operation Smile
Operation Smile is a leading global nonprofit bridging the gap in access to essential surgeries and health care, starting with cleft surgery and comprehensive care. We provide medical expertise, training, mentorship, research and care through our dedicated staff and volunteers around the world, working alongside local governments, nonprofits, and health systems, and supported by our generous donors and corporate partners. Visit Operation Smile for more information.
Latest news
-
Making sustainable healthcare work
Healthcare systems worldwide are under pressure to deliver more with less. Fewer resources, tighter budgets, and growing demands. In this article, published in Clinical Services Journal, Eric De Kesel, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President Sustainability and Dr Emma Wright, Chief Medical Officer at Mölnlycke Health Care, explain how Mölnlycke is turning sustainable healthcare from aspiration into practice by connecting performance, people, and planet.
-
Clinician wellbeing is key to sustainable healthcare
Clinician wellbeing is the cornerstone of sustainable healthcare. Dr Emma Wright, Chief Medical Officer at Mölnlycke Health Care, explains why supporting those who deliver care is essential and how value-based healthcare can unlock better outcomes for patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare systems.
-
Mölnlycke recognised with EUPD’s ‘ESG Transparency Award
We are delighted to announce that Mölnlycke was recognised with ‘ESG Transparency Award' by EUPD Research. Mölnlycke achieved the highest excellence level with the total score of 95,5%.
-
Shaping wound care policy across Europe
We are proud to play our part in shaping the future of wound care in Europe. Mölnlycke has been elected one of the organisations leading the Wound Care Sector Working Group at MedTech Europe, the industry association representing medical technology across the continent.
-
2025 Future Summit by Mölnlycke Health Care
Smarter incision care and partnerships are key to enhanced clinical practise and improved patient outcomes.
-
Mölnlycke donates patent to spark innovation in sustainable healthcare
Gothenburg, Sweden. 12 November 2025. Mölnlycke Health Care, a global leader in MedTech, is the first company to donate a patent to SKF’s groundbreaking digital platform, The Patent Bay – taking bold action to harness collaboration and accelerate innovation in sustainable healthcare.
-
Mölnlycke establishes first wound care manufacturing site in China
Changshu, China, and Gothenburg, Sweden. 5 November 2025. Mölnlycke® Health Care, a global leader in MedTech, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, is celebrating the commencement of its new wound care manufacturing site in Changshu, China. This strategic investment marks a milestone in Mölnlycke’s growth journey and the beginning of localised manufacturing in one of the world’s fastest-growing MedTech markets.
-
Mölnlycke Health Care’s global headquarters ranked number one workplace in Sweden and top 20 globally in Leesman workplace experience survey
Gothenburg, Sweden, 15 October 2025 Mölnlycke® Health Care is proud to announce that its global headquarters have placed number one in Sweden, and top 20 globally, in the prestigious Leesman® Index, a benchmark survey measuring workplace experience across thousands of organisations worldwide.
-
Mölnlycke Health Care breaks ground on $135 million expansion of Wound Care manufacturing facility in Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick, Maine, USA and Gothenburg, Sweden. 23 September 2025. Mölnlycke® Health Care, a global leader in MedTech, headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, today celebrates the groundbreaking of a major expansion to its wound care manufacturing capacity in Brunswick, Maine. This milestone marks the beginning of a $135 million investment aimed at significantly increasing Mölnlycke’s manufacturing capacity in the United States.