Patiala, May 17 - The Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital (GSMCH), along with international charity organisation Smile Train, has brought smile to over 100 children born with cleft lip and palate.
Renowned plastic surgeon Gurpratap Singh, a former professor and head of the department of plastic surgery, Government Medical College, Patiala, who has already operated over 2,000 such cases, is rendering services free of cost to bring smile back on the faces of these underprivileged children. Over 100 such surgeries have been conducted so far in this hospital.
According to Gurpratap Singh, putting the smile back on these children is the greatest reward and he feels blessed that God has gifted him with such a skill to bring happiness and joy into these children's life.
Singh said this anomaly occurs due to congenital as well as nutritional defects during pregnancy. It is prevalent among underprivileged section of the society. Poor knowledge among villagers regarding this disease may lead to delayed treatment causing various problems in the child, such as late development of speech, malnutrition, repeated chest infections and mental retardation. A large number of female patients have undergone surgery after they failed to get suitable matrimonial alliance because of the cleft lip.
Sekhon said every year 35,000 children are born with clefts, a gap between the upper lip and/or palate. Though completely treatable less than half get the treatment they desperately need only because they are poor. A cleft lip can be completely corrected with a simple surgical procedure that takes 45 minutes and costs Rs 8,000.
