New Delhi [India], March 31 (ANI/SRV): Heritage Hospital has been doing free cleft lip and palate operations in collaboration with America's NGO Institute Smile Train for 18 years. The children who came for this free operation were sometimes so weak that their cleft lip or palate operation was impossible. Considering these problems, the Global Director of the Nutrition Program, Smile Train, Barbara Delage, started the "Nutrition Program" in 2021 for such weak children. A diet supplement is given monthly to weak children to increase their weight and blood and fulfil other body needs to meet cleft lip & palate operation requirements.

Barbara and Sheela Koyna, Program Director Smile Train, India, reached the Heritage Hospital in Varanasi on March 21, 2023, to evaluate the implementation and success rate of the nutrition program. Project Director Dr Sanjeev Sharma and the Project Dietician Sakshi Mehrotra welcomed both in Heritage Hospitals.

Project Dietician Sakshi Mehrotra informed Barbara, "After registering more than 160 children under the Nutrition Program, they have been given monthly healthy diet supplements. Some 160 children are already operated on after improving their weight and blood count. Suppose a child takes more than one month to meet the requirements for operation; in that case, heritage hospitals also provide supplements for further periods until the child meets the requirements for the operation."

Barbara also met the beneficiary children and asked about their experience after the operation.

"The biggest advantage of this program is that we did not have to postpone or cancel the operation of any child after this scheme. With Smile Train's help, we will spread the awareness of this welfare scheme among the public so that more and more people can benefit from it," said Dr Sanjeev Sharma, Project Director of Smile Train, and Plastic Surgeon at Heritage Hospitals Varanasi.

Barbara inspected all the departments & their progress related to the Smile Train project. Appreciating the hospital's approach, she said, "Smile Train Project is always ready to do such works which can relieve the poor and needy people."

Adil Rai - Management Executive, Heritage Hospitals Varanasi, Dr DN Singh, Dr SK Srivastava, Brijesh Tiwari - Smile Train PRO; and others were available during this program.

For details visit: www.heritagehospitals.com

Email - [email protected]

Contact - Brijesh Tiwari, PRO Smile Train: 097941-13024

This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)