Abbott joins Operation Smile campaign

Abbott has announced that it is to support the charity Operation Smile in its new global initiative to provide medical treatment to children with facial deformities.

The charity has stated its hopes to treat 5,000 in need of surgery as part of its 25th anniversary celebration – World Journey of Smiles.

Abbott has pledged a donation of 1,700 bottles of its anaesthesia product, valued at $500,000 (241,500 pounds), which will be used in Operation Smile’s 40 medical missions across 25 countries.

Kathy Pickus, from Global Citizenship and Policy at Abbott, expressed the pharmaceutical company’s pride in helping Operation Smile accomplish its 25th anniversary goal.

“Through ongoing medical missions and programmes to train health workers, we look forward to continuing our partnership to make an enduring contribution to improving people’s lives,” she added.

Abbott and Abbott Fund have donated more than $3 million (1.5 million pounds) in grants and products in support of Operation Smile’s medical missions since 1993.

In 2005, Abbott Fund confirmed that it was to help build sustainable health centres in developing countries which would strengthen the expertise of local and anaesthesiologists in providing emergency care.

Earlier this year, Abbott announced an expansion to its commitment to improve healthcare services in Tanzania, with a focus on widening the access to HIV testing and treatment in the country.