Cleft lip and Cleft palate are birth defects that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth does not form properly during pregnancy. In India, about 35000 children are born with clefts every year. Children with untreated clefts have difficulty in breathing, eating, and speaking.
In India, less than 50% of children born with clefts get treatment due to lack of education about clefts and poverty. According to an independent study – Economic Valuation of the Global Burden of Cleft Disease Averted by a Large Cleft Charity – published in the British Medical Journal Global Health, cleft repair can cost as little as $250. However, the return on investment of cleft surgery in a developing country can be as much as 168 times.
Cleft surgery can give a hope to these children to have a second chance at leading a normal life. And so, Smile Train India has launched an initiative to train medical professionals with cleft care at its partner hospitals.
Smile Train is the world’s largest cleft charity that empowers local medical professionals to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. The organization has achieved a 500,000 surgery milestone in 18 years, through a strong partner network of over 300 doctors at over 160 hospitals in more than one hundred cities across India.
At the celebration event of its milestone achievement, Bajaj Finserv Ltd. and subsidiary companies has reaffirmed their association with the organisation by announcing their support for 20000 free cleft treatments. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Himalaya Drug Company, Mankind Pharma Ltd. and The Hans Foundation are also corporate other partners of Smile Train India. The Global Goodwill Ambassador of the organization is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
The organisation is also partnered with various state governments under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram of the National Health mission. In hard-to-reach border areas and insurgency hit areas, Border Security Force (BSF) Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) reach out to cleft patients and, where needed, transport them to and from the nearest partner hospital.
The discrimination in availability of equal opportunities for cleft adults is as much of a problem in our country as it is for the specially abled people. This has led the cleft patients to live an isolated and depressing life. Cleft surgery is a simple procedure that takes up to 45 minutes. And if undertaking the surgery helps in building confidence and solves a lot of physical problems, why not invest in it? After all, this will help us to cultivate healthier and happier youth which in return will reap huge profits to the economy.
