What is Cleft lip & Palate surgery & is it covered under the Chiranjeevi scheme?
A cleft lip and palate are a birth condition. This condition leads to a split or opening being formed on the upper lip and palate of the baby. A cleft lip or palate is one of the most common congenital disabilities among babies. It is associated with various genetic conditions that lead to babies being born with a cleft lip.
Even though it is very upsetting for babies to be born with this deformity, it can be corrected through medical intervention. How can it be corrected? Through a series of corrective surgeries, the cleft lip/palate can be healed with minimal scarring. So, now that you know about the surgery, let’s learn more about it and if it is covered under the Chiranjeevi scheme.
Cleft lip & palate surgery
Diagnosing a cleft lip or palate is not complicated as you can easily see it on the baby at birth. Even when it is diagnosed early (at birth), the treatment process, which involves various surgeries, can only start after the baby reaches three years of age. Let’s learn more about the surgical procedure.
You should know that the cleft lip and cleft palate are treated separately by doctors. First, doctors treat the cleft lip through surgery which is performed under general anesthesia. After the cleft lip is surgically fixed, the stitches are either removed in a few days or dissolve automatically in the body. Doctors work hard to ensure that there are no scars left after the surgery. This is done by putting the scar lines close to the lip lining so they disappear over time as the baby grows.
The palate surgery is done after the baby reaches the age of at least six months. During the corrective palate surgery, the doctors rearrange the muscles and tissues inside the mouth to close the gap in the palate. This surgery is also performed under general anesthesia and takes around 2 hours to complete. Doctors recommend that the child is kept at the hospital for a day prior to and after the surgery. Given that this surgery is inside the mouth, there is no fear of scarring. The dissolvable stitches from the surgery go away in due time, and the scar is healed over time inside the mouth.
Post surgical care
Children that take birth with a cleft lip or palate often have to go through speech training after their surgery in order to overcome speech problems. Apart from speech training, the children also need a variety of other medical care in order to grow up healthily. Here are a few medical treatments that children recovering from a cleft palate and lip need to undergo.
Hearing treatment
Children going through a cleft palate often end up suffering from a condition known as glue ear. Fluid builds up in the middle ear of the child as a result of the palate muscles not functioning correctly. So, even after the surgery is complete, hearing tests need to be conducted by doctors to ensure that the child’s hearing is unimpaired.
Dental treatment
Due to the cleft lip, children often have problems related to tooth growth. The problems range from teeth not growing in a certain position or extra teeth growing. Teeth can also grow deformed or misaligned. To help with all of these problems, doctors need to monitor the tooth growth of the child. In case the factors mentioned above are present, they take corrective measures to fix the problems.
Is cleft lip & palate surgery covered under the chiranjeevi scheme?
Yes, this surgery is covered under the scheme. However, there are some prerequisites.
First, a doctor must prescribe the surgery.
Secondly, the patient needs to submit before operative pictures.
Once the surgery is complete, the patient needs to submit a discharge certificate along with the day-to-day treatment plan that was performed on the patient.
Lastly, the patient also needs to submit post-operative pictures.
These are the prerequisites you need to cover in order to have your surgery covered under the Chiranjeevi scheme.
Conclusion
Any physical problem of your newborn is a matter of great concern for parents. However, with advancements in modern medicine and medical science, congenital disabilities like cleft lip and palate can be easily treated today. In Rajasthan, you can visit MediPulse hospital for the best treatment of your child’s cleft lip problem. And the best part, you can get the benefits of the Chiranjeevi scheme when you get your treatment at MediPulse. For more information, go through the official medipulse hospital website.