Charity organisation Mission Smile and Tirumala Medicover Hospitals will jointly conduct cleft palate surgeries free of cost for 80 children from September 3 to 6 in Vizianagaram, Mission Smile programme manager Rafiur Rahman and the hospital’s centre head V.N. Padma Kumar said.
Addressing a press meet, Mr. Rahman said that parents of the children with cleft problems living in North Andhra, Telangana, and Odisha have registered for the camp during which free surgeries will be performed for children with cleft palate and cleft lip deformities.
Mr. Rahman said that malnutrition among pregnant women and marriages among close relatives were identified by medical experts as the primary reason for the birth of children with cleft problems. He said that the organisation has conducted 119 medical camps across India since 2003, helping treat nearly 40,800 patients. He thanked Colgate Palmolive for extending funds for charitable programmes
ensured operations for nearly 40,800 patients across India since 2003 by conducting 119 special medical camps conducted across India. He thanked Colgate Palmolive for extending funds for charitable programmes under its CSR activities.
He said that each operation cost around ₹1.5 lakh, adding that the cost of operations had now come down significantly with many doctors performing surgeries free of cost. Medical Superintendent of the hospital Ch. Mahesh and programme coordinator of Mission Smile Sameer said that senior doctors were coming to Vizianagaram to perform the operations. They urged parents to approach hospital authorities to enrol the names of their children suffering from cleft problems.
