Imphal, October 27: The Smile Train Shija Cleft Project being undertaken by the Shija Hospitals and Research Institute has so far brought back smiles to more than 500 persons with cleft lips or palates.

After the project is completed in January next year, a similar project would be taken up with added facilities and advantages.

This was disclosed by Chief Managing Director of the Shija Hospital and Research Institute (SHRI) Dr Kh Palin at a press meet today at the hospital.

Dr Palin was recognised as a partner surgeon by the US based Smile Train Incorporation.

He informed that under the project to normalise cleft lips and palates, SHRI has gifted pure smiles to 504 persons in the age group of 3 months to 40 years born with such deformities.

Under the project launched on June 11 this year, it was targeted to perform 750 cleft operations within 18 months however the number has crossed 500 in just four months and half, said Dr Palin.

Quoting an acknowledgement letter sent by Regional Director of The Smile Train South Asia Satish Kalra in recognition of the progress made by SHRI, he said that the efforts of SHRI was one of the first of it kind in the world.

Saying that the second phase of the project would include facilities for Orthodontic, speech therapy and genetic studies, Dr Palin also acknowledged the part of media in making the project a success.

He said that 35,000 children are born with cleft lips and palates every year in India adding that for every 600-800 children there is one with cleft lips or palates.

Since the Smile Train project was launched in India in 2000, more than 55,000 cleft lips have been corrected after surgery.

There are 82 partner hospitals and 150 surgeons under the project, said the managing director while disclosing plan to cover Jiribam, Silchar, Nagaland, Mizoram and even Myanmar under the Smile Train Shija Cleft Project.

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