Free cleft lip, palate surgeries for poor kids

RANCHI: The Devkamal Hospital and Research Center, Ranchi inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government on Tuesday under the Rashtriya Bal Suraksha Karyakram (RBSK) to provide free cleft lip and palate surgeries to children belonging to poverty-stricken families.
According to the MoU, children with cleft lip and palate would be identified and sent to Smile Train, an US-based international children's charity, that provides free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children in more than 85 countries around the globe.
Head of Smile Train India Renu Mehta, additional chief secretary (health, family welfare and medical education) Sudhir Tripathy and founder of Devkamal Hospital and a specialist plastic surgeon Dr. Anant Sinha were present on the occasion where state's nodal officer for RBSK, U C Sinha assured all help in this endeavour.
Dr Sinha and his team had successfully carried out 9,700 cleft lip and palate surgeries.
"At least one child among 800 is found to be with a cleft lip or palate. The cost of the surgery, stay, medicines, milk and food for children are sponsored and patients and their families do not need to spend even a single rupee. It is estimated that around 4,500 children are in need of the cleft lip or palate surgery," Dr Sinha said.