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Saying it big with smiles

Prakash M. Swamy

NEW YORK, Dec. 24

THE Smile Train, an international children's charity and medical education organisation which is dedicated to helping children suffering from clefts, has announced the formation of a strategic, three-year training and support partnership with five Indian medical organisations. The partnership will provide more than 12,000 children with new smiles and new outlooks on life.

The announcement marks another extension of The Smile Train's assault on cleft lip and palate disorders that wreak physical and emotional devastation on millions of children worldwide.

Mr Charles B. Wang, Chairman of New York-based Computer Associates International, and founding board member of The Smile Train, visited the project's doctors and patients in India recently.

The five partnerships are with A. B. Shetty Memorial Institute for Dental Sciences, (ABSMIDS) Deralakatte, Karnataka; the Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute, Porur, Tamil Nadu; The Charles Pinto Centre for Cleft Lip & Palate in Thrissur , Kerala; SHARE Medical Centre, Hyderabad, and Impact India Foundation, Mumbai, which operates the Lifeline Express.

``With financial support from The Smile Train, we plan to significantly step up the number of cleft reconstructive surgeries performed at our hospital without in any way compromising on our focus on safety and quality,'' said Ms Radha Venkatachalam, CEO, of Sri Ramachandra Medical College. ``The problem of cleft lips and palates in our country is huge and resources are always short. The assistance we receive from The Smile Train will bridge this gap, and we hope to bring smiles to many faces, including those of affected parents and loved ones.''

Unlike traditional non-profit cleft organisations that temporarily loan American medical teams to developing countries to perform surgery, The Smile Train empowers local surgeons and medical professionals to carry out the surgery themselves. These top lo cal medical teams can then leverage the training and support provided by The Smile Train to give indigent children the exact surgical procedures they need.

``We are very happy that we can now expand our efforts,'' said Dr Krishna Sham Rao, of ABSMIDS. ``We have hundreds of children on our waiting list who desperately need the life-changing procedures that The Smile Train offers them.''

The Smile Train set up its Indian operations a few months ago with an office in New Delhi. Within the first few months, it had sponsored over 500 surgeries, and the pace is now gathering momentum. The organisation's phenomenal success in China is indicat ive of what can be achieved in India.

Mr Wang visited Smile Train doctors and patients in Chennai. ``Children throughout India and around the developing world are living in anguish because of a readily treatable medical condition. Our humanity gives us no choice but to campaign against this tragedy with absolute commitment and dedication. Seeing the wonderful results we have already achieved only encourages us to redouble our efforts,'' he said.

``We are very pleased with the support and commitment of our partner centres, and very hopeful that by working together we will be able to make a real difference in India,'' said Mr Satish Kalra, The Smile Train's recently appointed Managing Director for India. ``We estimate that over 35,000 children are born each year with this birth defect in India, and the thought of the suffering that we can eliminate motivates us to boost our efforts to reach out with all the resources available to us.''

The Smile Train (www.smiletrain.org), a non-profit organisation, was launched in 1998. Its goal is to eradicate cleft lips and palates. The Smile Train offers free training for doctors, free surgery for children and is involved in research to find a cure . It is supported by thousands of individuals and private foundations and does not receive any governmental funding.