Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

US-based NGO ties up with NIMS for cleft lip surgeries

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD Nov.15. A US-based NGO funding cleft lip surgeries in developing countries, Smile Train, has tied up with the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciencies (NIMS) here to provide free comprehensive treatment to cleft lip and cleft palate patients.

The scheme, which was formally launched on Thursday on the eve of the Children's Day, provides for free hospitalisation, surgery, drugs and consumables to patients and free food for one attendant during the stay of the patient in the hospital. A free follow-up and speech therapy will also be extended. This facility is available for any person of any age, the Director General of Health Services, K. Anji Reddy, who launched the scheme, and D. Mukunda Reddy, Head, Department of Plastic Surgery, NIMS, and Project Director of Smile Train in the State, told mediapersons here on Saturday.

To attract parents having one-year-old children with the problem of cleft palate, an incentive scheme has been introduced under which Kisan Vikas Patras of Rs.3,000 in the case of girl child and Rs. 2,000 for male child will be taken at the time of surgery. However, the certificates with maturity values of Rs.6,000 and Rs.4,000 respectively will be handed over to the parents on completion of treatment when the children are six years old, they said.

They added that the incentive scheme was introduced in view of good speech result if the children who were operated for cleft palate within a year of birth. The speech therapy support will be provided by the Ali Yavar Jung Institute of Speech and Hearing Handicapped here.

Dr. Anji Reddy said the Smile Train has been requested to collaborate with two hospitals each in coastal districts and Rayalaseema and one hospital in any of the Telangana districts to spread the service throughout the State so that every child born with the problem could be attended. The aim was not to see an adult with the problem in the future.

He said that there were 50,000 patients of cleft lip and palate, of whom 20,000 had not been operated, in the State. The problem was on account of congenital malformation. Pregnant women who were exposed to x-rays, severe stress and strain, malnutrition, anaemia and drugs beget such children. Cleft lip if repaired within three months of birth of the child stood 90 per cent chance of returning to normal.

The launch of the programme at NIMS was attended by De Lois H. Greenwood, Director, Strategic Projects, Melody Farrin, Programme Director, and Satish Kalra, Project Director of Smile Train, South East Asia. NIMS Director, Kakarla Subba Rao, was also present.

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