Surgeons and speech pathologists at a workshop organised by the Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute (SRMC&RI) have decided to evolve a comprehensive community based model for cleft care with the thrust on speech therapy in India.

According to Linda D'Antonio, a speech pathologist of the Loma Lindia University, US and part of the Smile Train, "One of our immediate goals and beyond is to identify and exchange practical ideas on how we might promote, increase and support interdisciplinary cleft care throughout India."

"There are too few speech pathologists and a majority of them are in the urban areas whereas many patients live in remote areas. We must do something about this," she further maintained, claiming further that if the problem was solved using a good model, the same could be taken duplicated in other countries. Linda also maintained that it is essential to propogate the fact that cleft deformity could be repaired and near normal speech made possible if treated early.

In collaboration with the New York based Smile Train, an organisation devoted to cleft deformity care, the SRMC&RI has operated on 1,300 people in the past two years by sensitizing and training grass root workers like village health nurses to reach out to the patients more so in the rural areas.