The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) in Tiruchi treated approximately 15 cases of cleft lip and cleft palate in the past year and the authorities have urged parents of affected children in the district to seek medical assistance at the earliest.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when the tissues that form the facial features do not join properly, possibly due to genetic reasons.
At a press conference on Monday, S. Kumaravel, Dean, K.A.P. Viswantham Medical College and Hospital, said: “We have been conducting corrective surgery for this birth defect periodically. However, obtaining parental consent for the operations has been a challenge. Since this health issue can affect the weight gain and food intake of the child in the long run, it is essential for parents to be counselled regarding the surgical procedures.”
The hospital has established a team consisting of a plastic surgeon, dentist, and feeding nurse for cleft lip and cleft palate cases. All the operations are conducted free of charge.
“Though it is not a life-threatening condition, it requires surgical intervention because the lips are needed for normal eating, speech, and breathing. Due to medical advancements, the defect can be spotted in the fifth month of pregnancy, through an anomaly scan. We advise parents to begin treatment on infants between three and six months of age, who weigh at least 6 kg. Unless the procedures are started early, there’s a danger of their voice and speech getting permanently damaged by the malformed parts,” said Mano Anand, plastic surgeon.
Depending on the individual condition, patients may require up to five corrective operations from infancy to teenage years, Dr. Anand added. “Early treatment helps improve chances of recreating the facial structure without scarring,” he said. Speech therapy is given to the patients from six months of age.
Dentist Gayathri said that maintaining oral hygiene was key for the patients. “Parents are trained to wipe the mouth carefully with gauze dipped in warm water after each feed, to keep the operated areas sanitised. We give a long nipple bottle that helps the milk to reach the child’s oral cavity easily,” Dr. Gayathri said.
The infants under care are given special feeds from cereal extract and expressed mothers’ milk sourced from the breast milk bank at MGMGH.
Published – February 17, 2025 06:57 pm IST