Over 150 cleft lip patients, who have either gone through the rectification surgery or are to come under the scalpel soon, attended an awareness campaign on cleft at the SBM Hospital at Gopalpur on the outskirts of the city on Sunday.
The campaign was part of a renewed awareness movement by ‘The Smile Train’, which had recently launched the Smile Torch that is being carried across the country to create further consciousness in the community.
The Smile Train Torch was received at the hospital by Kendrapada MP Anubhav Mohanty from its senior programme manager Leela Imam. Senior plastic surgeon Dr Bibhuti Bhusan Nayak educated the patients on different aspects associated with cleft lip, including the blind beliefs associated with it.
The Smile Train has reportedly helped over 5.5 lakh children in correcting their cleft lips free of cost in the country during last 19 years. Over 20,000 of them are beneficiaries from Odisha alone, sources said.