Ashraya Hastha Trust, a Bangalore based charitable organization funded by Infosys’ Co-Founder K. Dinesh and his family and Smile Train India, the country’s largest cleft focused NGO have announced a five-year partnership with an aim to boost the cleft care ecosystem in India. The partnership will focus on supporting cleft treatment in the seven identified states, while also strengthening safety and best practices in cleft care.
Ashraya Hastha Trust will support 10,000 cleft surgeries, five capacity building trainings and safety medical equipment at Smile Train treatment centers across seven states to include Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir. All cleft surgeries at the Smile Train Cleft Program at Woodland Hospital, Shillong, will be supported under this partnership for the next five years.
Speaking about the partnership, Dr. Werlok Kharshiing, Medical Superintendent & Plastic Surgeon, Woodland Hospital, Shillong said, “We at Woodland Hospital, with support from Smile Train India have been treating cleft patients since 2007. We are truly grateful that Ashraya Hastha Trust has extended support to this worthy cause and support for surgery, training and medical equipment will enable us to provide safe cleft treatment to thousands of children in need.”
