Woodland Hospital in association / collaboration with an international NGO, ‘The Smile Train’ (The World’s Leading Cleft Charity) is providing free treatment to the birth defective Children.

The smile train is a U.S. base non-profit charitable organization whose mission is to provide assistance to children born with Cleft Lip and Palate around the world.

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate which can also occur together as cleft lip and palate, are variations of a type of clefting congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation. A cleft is a fissure or opening—a gap. It is the non-fusion of the body’s natural structures that form before birth. Approximately 1 in 800 children born have a cleft lip and/or a cleft palate.

Incidence

• 1:800 births
• 35000 new cases every year
• 10 Lakhs backlog of patients
• Commonest congenital deformity next only to club foot
• Low socio-economic group
• More common in rural than in urban
• Males more common than in females, 80:60
• Racial-oriental. Less in negroes & Caucasians

Embryology and etiology

• Heredity is a strong factor
• Infections during first trimester
• Nutritional deficiencies (folic acid)
• Avitaminosis
• Radiation exposure

A cleft lip or palate can be successfully treated with surgery, especially so if conducted soon after birth or in early childhood. Cleft lip and palate surgery can be done between 6 months to 40 years old.

Woodland Hospital has done more than 1500 safe and quality surgeries, totally free of cost since the start of the programme in February 2007.

In this programme, the Hospital stay, Operation Charges, Surgeon’s Fees, Medicines, Food are totally free for the Patient.