Bringing smiles on thousand faces
One child in 700 is born with cleft. That's where Smile Train comes in, the world's largest cleft lip and palate charity. With 160 centers and 260 doctors, Smile Train has sponsored over 1.5 lakh safe quality surgeries across India since 1999.
“WHAT’S THE most precious moment for any mother? Yes, that’s when her child smiles. That one smile is worth Kohinoor. But imagine about those mothers whose child is born with cleft, how does it feel to see their child in such a misery,” said Dr Subodh Kumar Singh, plastic surgeon and cleft specialist, who operated Pinki of “Smile Pinki”, an Oscar winning documentary film. Dr Subodh was there at Lucknow Press Club to address media.
Talking about statistics he said one child in 700 is born with cleft. Every year 35, 0000 are born with it. “That’s where Smile Train comes in, the world’s largest cleft lip and palate charity. Smile Train works with only local doctors, training and helping them to train and help the helpless,” said he. With 160 centers and 260 doctors, Smile Train has sponsored over 1.5 lakh safe quality surgeries across India since 1999. “The problem is the huge backlog, 10 lakhs are still left untreated. At the present rate, it would take 100 years to complete this backlog. More doctors and hospitals are needed.”
Dr Singh later said that the average age when children with cleft get operated is six years and four month, while the ideal age is three to six months. “Its just poverty and lack of awareness,” said he. He later added that clefts lead to both physical and psychological problems. They are not able to drink mother’s milk that leads to weakness at very beginning of their life. Their life expectancy is 15 years less than average. Children having cleft face ostracism everywhere, they live in isolation and teased by peers. Many girl child are killed at birth or abandoned. “People accept the child as 'pichle janam ke paap ka fal' (deeds of last life sins) and name them as Hanuman and Shankar,” he added.
Smile Train conduct their camp fortnightly and encourages people to get their child treated. “We are always available to them and never say them no. Sometimes fully grown up adults come for treatment, we operate even them. Once a 76 year old lady came to me for cleft operation, she was admitted for operation and treated with same love and respect,” said the doctor.
Cleft operation takes 45 minutes to two hours depending upon the complexity of the problem. “Even after the operation, it requires constant follow up, the most important, speech therapy. Since people come from distant villages for operation, they don’t actually turn up for follow up session. We provide them with audio manual that helps them to learn speech therapy. By that manual parents can learn to give therapy at home itself.” He later told that there are certain words in Hindi which children find difficult to pronounce even after they are operated because they are not used to it. That’s why they need speech therapy.
On being asked how does he feel about Smile Pinki having won Oscar, “That movie won just one Oscar I have won many, in fact, I win every day. Whenever, I treat a child and he goes back home smiling I win an award,” Dr Singh said humbly. He also added that Megan Mylan had tough time editing the movie. “She edited 100 hours shoot into 39 minutes.”
In Lucknow, Smile Train operates at CSMMU and Vivekanand Hospital. In the end Smile Pinki was screened that left many with tears and made them speechless.
Dr Singh later said that the average age when children with cleft get operated is six years and four month, while the ideal age is three to six months. “Its just poverty and lack of awareness,” said he. He later added that clefts lead to both physical and psychological problems. They are not able to drink mother’s milk that leads to weakness at very beginning of their life. Their life expectancy is 15 years less than average. Children having cleft face ostracism everywhere, they live in isolation and teased by peers. Many girl child are killed at birth or abandoned. “People accept the child as 'pichle janam ke paap ka fal' (deeds of last life sins) and name them as Hanuman and Shankar,” he added.
Smile Train conduct their camp fortnightly and encourages people to get their child treated. “We are always available to them and never say them no. Sometimes fully grown up adults come for treatment, we operate even them. Once a 76 year old lady came to me for cleft operation, she was admitted for operation and treated with same love and respect,” said the doctor.
Cleft operation takes 45 minutes to two hours depending upon the complexity of the problem. “Even after the operation, it requires constant follow up, the most important, speech therapy. Since people come from distant villages for operation, they don’t actually turn up for follow up session. We provide them with audio manual that helps them to learn speech therapy. By that manual parents can learn to give therapy at home itself.” He later told that there are certain words in Hindi which children find difficult to pronounce even after they are operated because they are not used to it. That’s why they need speech therapy.
On being asked how does he feel about Smile Pinki having won Oscar, “That movie won just one Oscar I have won many, in fact, I win every day. Whenever, I treat a child and he goes back home smiling I win an award,” Dr Singh said humbly. He also added that Megan Mylan had tough time editing the movie. “She edited 100 hours shoot into 39 minutes.”
In Lucknow, Smile Train operates at CSMMU and Vivekanand Hospital. In the end Smile Pinki was screened that left many with tears and made them speechless.
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