Unveiling KC4 – Mission Smile’s Initiative towards a Cleft-Free Bengal

It was a red-letter day for Mission Smile.  We reached another milestone by inaugurating Kolkata Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre (KC4) at Flemming Hospital, Topsia, Kolkata, on July 14, 2017. The event turned remarkable with our Smile Ambassador Ms Nandana Dev Sen. She was our chief guest for the event. Other dignitaries present at the occasion were Mr Deepak Atal -Trustee, Mission Smile, Dr Anjana Malhotra – Plastic Surgeon and Trustee-Mission Smile, Dr Manish Mukul Ghosh – Plastic Surgeon & Medical Council Member Mission Smile, Col. Shivaji Samaddar- COO, Mission Smile and representatives from the Flemming Hospital.

Some of the children who had received the gift of a smile‘ through Mission Smile in the past were present at the inauguration, along with their parents. They felicitated the dignitaries. Our Chief Guest, Ms Nandana Dev Sen, interacted with the children. Next, the auspicious lamp-lighting ceremony took place, where the dignitaries lighted the lamp of hope. They officially inaugurated the Kolkata Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre (KC4). This was followed by the inaugural speech by Mission Smile COO Col. Shivaji Samaddar (Retd.). Ms Nandana Dev Sen, our Chief Guest, expressed her joy and happiness for her association with Mission Smile for the last ten years. She also promised her continued support for our cause. Dr Anjana Malhotra, Dr Manish Mukul Ghosh and Mr Deepak Atal were the other speakers. Mr Anupam Sarkar – Manager Partnerships, Mission Smile conducted the event.

Ms Nandana Dev Sen, our smile ambassador shared a motivational speech at the inauguration. Quoting her words from the event– “Every 3 minutes, somewhere in the world a child is born with a cleft; In India, this translates to one in every 700 live births. And one out of 10 of these babies will NOT live to see their 1st birthday. 12%  of them will die before they turn 5. So, it’s a myth that cleft lip and palate are merely ‘aesthetic’ issues, they are life-threatening conditions. In fact, compared to other child health issues like HIV or immunization, there is minimal awareness about the disastrous consequences of cleft on a child’s survival and development. Few realise that craniofacial disorders like cleft affect more children each year than all childhood cancers combined.”

The Guests also visited the KC4 patient units and interacted with beneficiaries who received the corrective surgeries on July 14, 2017, at the centre. In fact, KC4 is a unique initiative of Mission Smile in partnership with Flemming Hospital established with the objective of making a Cleft-Free West Bengal.

From all of us at Mission Smile we thank you all who have attended the event and look forward to more such milestones.

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