In 1952, when Daniel Laskin began his journey as a surgeon in the United States, he did not have access to as many intricate instruments, making diagnosis challenging.
“I had to send away many patients but now, science has advanced so much we have imaging systems and instrumentation,” he said on the sidelines of the 10th World Cleft Lip, Palate and Craniofacial Congress inaugurated on Wednesday.
“The important thing is training people. Instead of sending one or two doctors to the U.S. for treatment, the professor can come here and can teach many people,” he suggested.
In his address, Kenneth E. Salyer, president of the International Cleft Lip, Palate and Craniofacial Foundation, said while in India, thousands of children suffered from the condition, only a few hundreds received corrective surgeries.
The focus of the meeting of the International Cleft Lip and Palate Foundation is ‘cleft prevention in limited resources settings’. Nagato Natsumo, secretary and treasurer of the Foundation, said its aim was ‘patient first’.
Book released
Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Minister for Health and Quality of Life, Republic of Mauritius, released a book on the occasion. Lifetime achievement awards were given to six surgeons from across the world for their contributions.
S.M. Balaji, Director of Balaji Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, which organised the conference, recalled that learning the nuances of surgery from his teachers and senior surgeons elsewhere in the country had inspired him to carry forward their legacy.
