PRESS RELEASE

CLEFT LIP OPERATED KIDS CELEBRATE CHILDREN’S DAY AT SRI RAMACHANDRA UNIVERSITY

Chennai,
14th November 2007,

It was celebration time for over 500 cleft lip operated kids and their parents at Sri Ramachandra University here today as part of children’s day. Singing the invocation, narrating their experiences before and after the surgery, meeting their surgeons, doctors, speech therapists, a group photograph and snap shots with chiefs of SUR and The Smile Train, it was these cleft lip children and their parents who made it a memorable day.

Speaking on the occasion Mr.Joseph Mullaney, Senior Advisor, The Smile Train, USA, said the number of donors for the fund is about to cross the one million mark. No children should be left without the cleft lip surgery, he said.

Mr.Frederick J.Kaphin, the American Consul for Public Affairs, said that in keeping with the vision of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, children like these should face the world cheerfully and with laughter.

A public forum on psychosocial problems of children with facial differences was conducted on the occasion. Compered by film actor Ms.Rohini, resource persons from various fields like medicine, dental, clinical psychology, speech and hearing, social rehabilitation, education and employment interacted with the children and their parents.

The Chancellor Mr. V.R.Venkataachalam, Vice Chancellor, Prof S. Rangaswami, Smile Train’s South Asia Director, Mr. Satish Kalra Chief Coordinator, Cleft & Craniofacial Center, SRU, Dr. Jyotsna Murthy, Joint Director, Public Health, and Dr. S Alphonse Selvaraj participated in the celebrations.

In another function arranged by the paediatric department of the College of Nursing and Vidhyasudha, Special Children celebrated Children’s Day.

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(not for publication)

For more information please contact Dr. Jyotsna Murthy, Cleft & Craniofacial Centre, SRU, 9841039820.

T.G.Nallamuthu, Consultant, Media Relations, SRU, 9444265578, nallamuthu@hotmail.com