Mission Smile: Bringing smiles to cleft patients

Dimapur, April 21 (EMN): Mission Smile’s seven-day free cleft surgery camp, said to be the first cleft care camp in Nagaland, was inaugurated on Friday, April 21, at Eden Medical Centre in Dimapur. The health camp will provide free surgery to people affected by cleft deformities.

‘Nagaland has an estimated three thousand cleft patients who need treatment for cleft lip, cleft palate or both. Every year about 100 babies are born with this deformity which adds to the existing cleft load of the state,’ said Runa Rafique, senior manager for Fund Raising and Partnership Mission Smile.

In the past six to seven years, about 16,000 cleft surgeries have been performed for northeast peoples at the Guwahati centre–with just 15-20 patients from Nagaland. Although the medical charity ‘Mission Smile’ has been active since 2002, it wasn’t until 2009 that it started operating in the north-eastern region, Rafique said.

Defining cleft as a congenital deformity, she said children born with cleft deformities find it difficult to drink, eat, speak and even breathe and many fall into the trap of malnutrition; eventually one out of every ten children born with it dies within a year.

Rafique made it clear that half of all those who are going to have surgeries at the camp are going to need a second surgery as they suffer from both cleft lip and cleft palate.

Mission Smile works intensively and not just extensively in any place. ‘Since we have started work here, we will work to ensure that we can clear all the back-logs in minimum amount of time. For this, we will require support of the government, the PSUs like NEEPCO and good infrastructure like we are now receiving at the Eden Medical Centre. Only then can we reach care to the most needy,’ said Rafique.

Also, Prasenjit Phookan, an official of the NEEPCO Ltd explained that the mission will help needy patients to receive the required treatment. This will transform their lives and help them move on from the burden of social stigma associated with cleft deformities, he said. He expressed optimism that patients in Nagaland will benefit through ‘Mission Smile’ and help them to live a normal life rehabilitated.

Conveying gratitude to Mission Smile and NEEPCO Ltd for the initiative, Dr. Lima Imchen, managing director Eden Medical Centre, also expressed hope that the initiative would bring a smile to the people.

Dr. Hiteswar Sharma, the medical director of Mission Smile was also present during the inaugural day of the camp.

Mission Smile is a medical charity which provides comprehensive cleft care at zero cost to patients. It has its own team of surgeons, anaesthesiologists and nurses who are specially trained for providing cleft care.

The Seven day Camp is being conducted by Mission Smile in partnership with NEEPCO Ltd as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Hosted Eden Medical Centre which is a speciality hospital is providing the hospital OT and Ward for the Camp as part of its social responsibility while the camp is supported by National Health Mission, Nagaland.