Pune, 4th March 2025: To commemorate Birth Defects Awareness Month in India, and World Birth Defects Day on March 3, the Birth Defects Research Foundation, Pune, in collaboration with the NGO Smile Train India, is spearheading a transformative initiative to raise awareness about orofacial clefts, improve care for affected children across India, and strengthen multidisciplinary research activities. A seminar, “The Public Health Challenge of Orofacial Clefts in India,” is scheduled for March 3, 2025, at 3:00 PM IST.
Cleft lip and palate, a common birth defect impacting 1 in 700 Indian babies, reflects the difficulties parents encounter when their child is born with a congenital anomaly.Babies born with cleft lip and palate face significant challenges, including difficulties in feeding, speech development, and recurring ear infections, compounded by social stigma due to facial differences.
Surgery can rehabilitate the child. Ritu, for example, received timely advise and prompt referral for surgery and repair of the condition. This intervention corrected the facial difference, thereby improving health and social integration. In contrast, children without such timely care, face significant health and psychosocial issues such as speech difficulty, ear infections, and missed school enrolment and attendance. This highlights the critical role of empowering healthcare providers in early identification, referral, parental counselling, and ensuring appropriate treatment and rehabilitation, including speech therapy.
“Early intervention is vital for changing the course of a child’s life,” said Dr. Anita Kar, Director of the Birth Defects Research Foundation. “Our seminar is designed to foster a collaborative network whose ultimate goal is to ensure that every child receives timely, effective care.”
Partnering in this critical initiative, Smile Train India—the country’s largest NGO which supports free cleft surgeries and comprehensive cleft care—is renowned for its sustainable model that empowers medical professionals. “By equipping surgeons and comprehensive cleft care providers with the necessary training, funding, and resources, we are enabling an ecosystem where children have access to free, quality, safe and timely cleft care.” stated Mamta Carroll, Senior Vice President & Regional Director – Asia at Smile Train.