Itanagar: The Lower Subansiri Hydro Electric Project under its Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Scheme has partnered with Operation Smile, an International NGO for Cleft lip and palate treatment through plastic surgery for patients of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
This facility would initially be made available to the cleft patients of Lower Subansiri and West Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh besides Dhemaji and North Lakhimpur districts of neighbouring Assam, a communiqué from National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) executing the project said here today.
Under this initiative, the project in its quest for cleft free surroundings took its first step where 10 children from Dhemaji district were flagged off along with their parents yesterday to Operation Smile's Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre in Guwahati for plastic surgery.
The second batch of 20 patients of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts would move on March 26 for the surgery, the communiqué said.
All expenses of the hospital along with boarding, lodging and logistic expenses would be borne under NHPC's CSR and SD Scheme.
Flagging off the bus carrying 10 children accompanied by their parents, NHPC's Lower Subansiri HE Project Executive Director Rakesh stressed that all stakeholder districts adjacent to the project would be made cleft free within 4 to 5 years and the expenses would be covered by the corporation.
Though the project hospital has also been catering its medical services for the benefit of locals of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, it is the first time that cleft deformity, a common problem in the world is being treated in association with Operation Smile, the communiqué said.
