Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals, Operation Smile India and Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital, Jaipur, have joined hands to support the cleft care movement in Rajasthan by way of a new Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre to provide free surgeries in Rajasthan and to help make it a ‘cleft free state’.
The permanent Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre at Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital (SDMH) provides free cleft lip and palate surgeries to patients from across the state of Rajasthan. Additionally, a ‘comprehensive care package’, which includes follow up Dental, Nutrition, and Speech Therapy services - required to help patients make a transition into a trouble free life after surgery - is also provided.
“This is an initiative, which sees leaders from different sectors in Rajasthan pooling their respective resources and skills to achieve a common goal – a cleft free Rajasthan,” said Manoj Badale, Co-owner, Rajasthan Royals and Chairman, Operation Smile UK. “We believe that by working together, we can achieve so much more to change the lives of children afflicted with cleft deformity,” he added.
One in 700 Indian children is born with a cleft lip and or palate with the effects going far beyond the cosmetic disfigurement and psychological issues.
The Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre is located at Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital in Jaipur. The name Durlabhji is synonymous with philanthropy, and as the biggest private hospital in Rajasthan, offers a host of specialized services under its roof. The hospital was therefore a preferred place to establish a Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre such as this.
“We strive to provide round-the-clock and round-the-year philanthropic medical services so that the needy, who may be outside the ambit of regular healthcare, are never outside the ambit of care, compassion and concern,” said Yogendra Durlabhji, Secretary, SD Trust.
Visiting the Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre along with his teammates, Shane Watson, Rajasthan Royals, said, “Using the power of sport as a means to change lives is something that’s very significant. It gives Rajasthan Royals as a team great joy to visit this centre and support a much-needed initiative such as this. We wish everybody involved the very best”.
The initiative reaches out to individuals suffering from cleft based deformities across the state drawing support from Rotary International as an Outreach Partner. As a social service organization that spans the state of Rajasthan, Rotarians are helping to identify patients and hosting cleft screening camps in support of the initiative.
With Rajasthan Royals behind it, cleft care is hoping to gain momentum and generate more support from across the state with the ultimate objective to make Rajasthan free of it.
