Dimapur, Jan. 6 (EMN): A team of doctors from Smile Train Shija Cleft Project, Imphal, would be available for a free mega surgery camp for cleft lips and palates at Oking Hospital and Research Clinic, Kohima, from January 16 to the 18th under Smile Train Shija Cleft Project- Mission Nagaland, 42nd Phase.
Director of Oking Hospital and Research Clinic, Dr. Vikethonyu Kesiezie informed that Smile Train was founded in 1998 and has grown into the world's largest cleft-focused global NGO with its headquarter based in New York, USA, and helping more than 1,500,000 desperately poor children with clefts, training thousands of medical professionals and establishing hundreds of programmes in the world's poorest countries.
He also informed that Smile Train Shija Cleft Project- Mission Nagaland, was formally launched by the then Governor of Nagaland, K Sankaranarayanan, on February 11, 2009. It is a joint initiative of Smile Train Shija Cleft Project, Imphal, and Oking Hospital, Kohima, to reach out to the cleft lip and palate patients of Nagaland and give them a new lease of life by rendering absolutely free of cost corrective surgery, free medicine, accommodation and travelling allowance up to a permissible limit, he added. He informed that more than 639 cleft patients from Nagaland have availed of free treatment till date under the project.
Research revealed that 1 in every 600 to 800 live births is born either with cleft lip or cleft palate. In India, over 35000 children are born with cleft lip or cleft palate every year. Considering the population of Nagaland, it is believed that there are more than 2500 untreated cleft patients in the state, stated Dr. Kesiezie. Those patients are unable to avail of treatment due to financial constraints and unawareness of the treatment facility. According to him, children born with clefts have difficulty while eating, breathing and speaking. He added that untreated children live a life of isolation and the majority of them never go to school and seldom find jobs.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are openings or splits in the upper lip, the roof of the mouth (palate) and are among the most common birth defects. Cleft lip should be corrected from the age of 6 months onwards and cleft palate from 14 months onwards to achieve the best results, explained Dr. Kesiezie.
He, therefore, appealed to all the politicians, teachers, healthcare workers, media and social activists to disseminate the information regarding the upcoming free cleft lip and palate surgery camp in their respective areas and refer the patients with clefts to Oking Hospital.
He further informed that patients should get themselves registered at Oking Hospital & Research Clinic, Kohima, one or two days ahead of the camp for necessary examination. All concerned are asked to contact Oking Hospital, Kohima, on phone nos. 0370 2290080 and 2290146 or Smile Train Shija Cleft Project, Imphal, on Phone nos. 9436869799 and 9436235270.