The Muthoot Pappachan Foundation (MPF), through its CSR programme ‘Smile Please’ in association with Mission Smile, has conducted over 1,500 cleft surgeries for children in 11 States across the nation.
The purpose was to conduct ‘comprehensive cleft care surgery missions’ across India, providing free surgical interventions and care for children afflicted with congenital lip and palate cleft disorders. The Mission has reached Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Pondicherry, Nagercoil, Kottayam, Gulbarga, Goa, Baroda and Jaipur.
Addressing malnutrition
Conceptualised with an aim to provide all-inclusive care to the patients, the mission brought to the fore the gaps in nutrition for kids in many regions, especially the unexplored rural regions.
The MPF envisioned the cleft nutrition component addressing the needs of malnourished cleft patients which have been identified during the mission. MPF also addresses the issue of financial affordability of basic food products and has taken the lead in distributing kits with cereals, pulses, ghee, dry fruits, jaggery, salt etc. on monthly basis.
Thomal Muthoot, Executive Director, MFL and Director of the Muthoot Pappachan Group, said over 45,000 babies were born with cleft and palate deformities in the country every year. Kids in rural India are worst affected due to lack of infrastructure and awareness. Since 2002, Mission Smile has medically screened more than 40,000 cleft patients and has performed more than 27,000 safe surgeries to children and adults suffering from cleft afflicted deformities.
