Shillong, July 27: The Border Security Force’s (BSF) Meghalaya Frontier not only that they provide security to the people of the country but is also actively involve to cater to the needs of the people especially the poor and the downtrodden.
With a motive to serve, the BSF launched the Meghalaya leg ‘Darpan’ project under which free surgical rectification of cleft lip and palate was provided to people with such cases free of cost for the people of the region, especially for border population falling on the India-Bangladesh border. Post this life-changing surgery, the person can live an absolutely normal mainstream life.
The noble project named ‘Darpan’ was initially launched on January 31 this year t Kolkata by the BSF Director General, Subhash Joshi, IPS.
The free surgical rectification of cleft lip and palate was carried out under the aegis of Border Security Force Wives Welfare Association (BWWA) in association of Smile Train & Rotary Club of Calcutta Victoria at Woodland and Composite Hospital on Friday.
It may be mentioned here that Cleft lip & Palate (CLAP) is a birth-defect which can totally derail the person’s life due to attached stigmas.
With a high concentration of economically weaker population, eastern India has more than 100,000 estimated cases. It was also learnt that under this program, all stakeholders have a well-defined role. Besides, it was also informed that the BSF, guarding the the India-Bangladesh border, identified the cases and thereafter brought them to Shillong for screening by the medical team.
In the first lot, five surgeries were successfully conducted a week ago and another two cases have been taken up for surgery. All such surgeries are targeted in the next two days and patients shall be released 2-3 days after the surgery.
Till date, 24 ( twenty four) surgeries have been successfully conducted under this project in the first lots at Kolkata & Agartala. The next lot of surgeries are planned at Kolkata where cases from North 24-parganas shall be taken up. The goal is to gradually cover more and more centres in North East so that this initiative can benefit the entire populace under eastern theatre of BSF.(SP News)
