The Himachal Pradesh government is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Smile Train project on March 9, which would bring in a special grant of Rs 70 lakh for the state. Smile Train has agreed to tie-up with the state for improving the facility of the cleft-lift and palate surgery at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla.

IGMC principal Dr Surender Kashyap said though the hospital was operating upon such patients since the past one year, now with this special grant, the surgery would get a fillip. “The grant is proposed to be used for upgrading infrastructure in the plastic surgery department and latest equipment used in the surgery would be procured, which would also help a larger number of patients now,” he said.

The IGMC had forwarded photographs of 50 patients needing cleft surgery to Smile Train for assessment, after which the special grant came across.

During the past one year, the IGMC has operated upon 220 cases of cleft-lip and palate. Many patients were also operated for rhinoplasty and alveolar bone grafting. As per an estimate, the number of such patients in Himachal is between 7,000 and 8,000, said Kashyap.