Free treatment for cleft lip patients in PGI

Chandigarh, Feb 14 (UNI) Patients with cleft lip and cleft palate will now get free treatment to correct their deformities at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here.

The PGIMER, Chandigarh, has tied up with Smile Train Inc., a New York-based charity organisation, for providing absolutely free treatment to the cleft lip patients at PGI hospital, Prof R K Sharma, Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery said at press conference here today.

This service is likely to be oprational from the next month onwards. This collaboration will also provide education to the lay public on as to how the incidence of these defects can be brought down.

Cleft lip and cleft palate are very common birth defects in the world . The incidence is about one in 800 children in India. It is estimated that about 35,000 new children are born with these defects. Accordingly, it is presumed that about 2.5 million children suffer from this defect in India, Prof Sharma said.

He said apart from cleft lip and palate there are certain other congenital anomalies affecting the children. These include various forms of misshaped skull, part of the brain protruding outside through skull, nose or eyes and very widely set eyes. These conditions can led to serious problems with functioning of brain and may also lead to loss of eye sight.

Prof Sharma majority of the patients with cleft lip and cleft palate deformities belong to proor soci-economic strata and can ill afford the expensive treatment needed for the correction. Many such children grow to adulthood without the advantage of surgical correction because of sheer poverty and ignorance.

The Department of Plastic Surgery, PGIMER, is hosting an annual conference of Indian Society of Cleft Lip, Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies from February 16, which is meant to enrich the knowledge of surgical fraternity with the latest professional skill and devices, management protocols and recent advances with respect to the cleft lip, palate and craniofacial deformities.

The three-day conference will be attended by about 300 delegates from all over India. About 20 delegates from SAARC countries will also participate.

Although facilities for management of common cleft lip and palate condition are now available in most of the medical colleges and big hospitals, managment of more complex craniofacial deformities is being undertaken in select hospitals only.

PGIMER, Chandigarh, is the only hospital in Government set up in north India where management of these complex craniofacial deformities is being undertaken since 1995, Prof Sharma said.

UNI