Problems of Treatment in India

1.Lack Public Awareness:
There is very little awareness about Cleft Lip and palate and other Craniofacial Anomalies in India. Most of the patients do not know that these are correctable and even few know about it do not reach out for the treatment either due to ignorance where to approach or due to fianacial reason.

2. Socioeconomic Background:
Majority of these children is borne in families with poor socioeconomic background. The reason for this is unknown but probably due to poor maternal health. The parents are not able to provide financial support during early childhood, which is the golden period for the treatment. The same treatments at later age do no yield the same results. These parents need proper guidance and financial support for the treatment for their children.

Our Activities to Help These Children

Public awareness programme: Public awareness is the main crux of the whole problem. If people are aware of the availability and outcome of the treatment, parents will try to reach for the treatment. They will be aware of the expectation of the treatment and able to:
demand better treatment. The following activities have done by our team

1. Brochure and written material :
We have printed brochures, leaflets in English and Tamil for providing information to the parents.

2. Educative and Diagnostic Camps :
We also conducted Cleft Lip and Palate Camp at various palces in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh like Porur, Kanchipuram, Nellor, MadanaPalli and Trichinappali to creat awareness and free consultation for these children by all specialists in Cleft Palate Team. During our camps we gather the local health workers like Village health Nurses, Aganwadi worker, special task force, health inspectors and others to sensitize them for these anomalies

We also started conducting Camps in the rural areas in collaboration with collector's offices. We have already done camps at Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai, and Dindigul.. During these camps we also organized training programme for the health worker in those districts. Each camp approximately 100 health workers were sensitized to cleft lip and palate anomaly. Responses at these camps were very encouraging.

3. Media Coverage :
We have written articles in English(Hindu) and Tamil(Dinmani) Newspapers. We had programme on All India Radio and Doordarshan in Tamil.

3. PHC Doctors Sensitisation programme :
In June 2001, we organized programme for PHC doctors selected from all over Tamil Nadu with the help of Department of Public Health. It was whole day programme which help to understand the complete management of cleft lip and palate children and give them first hand information to handle these children immediately after the birth.

4. VHN Programme
Sensitization programme for the Village Health Nurses and Village Health Workers was held for Thiruvallur District for 11 weeks continuously from March 19 to May 28th, 2002.

Each week about 50-70 health workers attended the programme. The departments, which participated in the training programme, are: Paediatrics, Plastic surgery, Speech therapy, Nutrition, Pedodontia and Orthodontist. During these 11 weeks approximately 750 health workers were trained to take care of the cleft children and provide them good guidance. These training camps empowers the local worker to handled these children for feeding and help them to give guidance and moral support to the parents of cleft children.

Free Treatment at Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute:
Sri Ramachandra Medical College & Research Institute is kind enough to provide facilities for free treatment of these children. We provide free consultation to approximately 200 patients per year and number is increasing. Each year we provide 50 free surgeries for these patients. Each operation is complex and takes about two hours. However, patients have to buy the disposable material like medicines and materials for operation, which cost Rs.2, 000. Unfortunately, many patients do not have money to buy this much also and return without any treatment!
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Awareness Programme