Italian surgeon Dr Roberto De Castro (left) and his team conduct examinations and diagnoses for children with urology and genital defect at the National Pediatric Hospital in Hanoi on October 25. (Photo courtesy of ‘Thien Nhan & His Friends’ programme)

Part of an annual programme that started 18 years ago, these surgeries are being performed from October 18 to November 9 by a volunteer medical team from Italy, England, Egypt and the UAE, led by Italian surgeon Dr Roberto De Castro.

The surgeries take place at Children's Hospital 2 in HCM City, the Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in Vinh City, the National Pediatric Hospital and Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi, and the Da Nang Children and Women's Hospital in Da Nang City.

Over decades, Dr De Castro has performed pioneering surgical techniques to effectively treat genital malformations and injuries in both boys and girls to allow them to live full lives.

One of De Castro’s biggest success stories is Phung Thien Nhan, who was abandoned by his biological mother at birth in a remote area in the central province of Quang Nam. When Nhan was found three days later, he was barely alive and had lost most of his genitals and one leg due to a brutal attack by wild animals.

The infant survived the incident and was subsequently adopted by journalist Tran Mai Anh, moving to Hanoi with his new family. With the support of De Castro, Thien Nhan received successful reconstructive surgery in January 2011.

His foster mother, Anh, later became the founder of the ‘Thien Nhan & Friends’ programme which, together with the Asia Injury Prevention (AIP) Foundation, pays for surgeries, travel costs and medical supplies for poor Vietnamese children needing genital reconstruction.

Over the years, the 'Thien Nhan & Friends' programme has conducted 630 surgeries, examinations and diagnoses for 2,000 children, with another 1,000 patients still awaiting treatment.

Dozens of leading experts in paediatric reconstructive and urological surgery from around the world have participated in the programme. In Vietnam, along with conducting examinations and surgeries, the international specialists also hold scientific workshops and hands-on training sessions with Vietnamese medical staff, sharing their experiences and introducing the latest advanced methods in paediatric urological surgery.

According to founder of the AIP Foundation and co-founder of the ‘Thien Nhan & Friends’ programme Greig Craft, the mission of the progamme is not just to treat a small number of children with genital disabilities.

“By spreading the inspiration to live and sharing medical knowledge as leading experts come together, we believe that the impact will extend beyond the confines of the programme. We are fortunate that Thien Nhan, our first patient, shares this vision and has chosen to become a scientist in the future,” he said.

Eighteen years after being found in the jungle and given a second chance at life, Thien Nhan has entered university. He chose the field of Artificial Intelligence, believing that “AI has the potential to revolutionise healthcare and improve the lives of many people, just as my life was transformed through medical intervention”. From these 18 years of experience, the young man is convinced that “empathy and patience will lead to miraculous achievements”./.