Jubilee Mission Hospital Opens Child-Friendly Ward with Smile Train Support

Thrissur: Jubilee Mission Medical College Hospital has opened a dedicated child-friendly ward to provide comprehensive care for children affected by cleft lip and cleft palate. Named ‘Jubilee Smile Portico’, the new ward is equipped to provide surgical treatment and supportive care to help children lead healthier, more confident lives. The ward was developed as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Jubilee Mission Hospital and the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Smile Train, the global charitable organisation that has been sponsoring cleft surgeries. Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath blessed the new ward, while Dr. Susanna Schaefer, President of Smile Train, inaugurated it. Jubilee Assistant Director Fr. Terin Mullakkara, Dr. P.V. Narayanan, Head of the Charles Pinto Centre for Cleft Care at Jubilee, Medical Superintendent Dr. Shibu C. Kallivallil, Dr. Vasanth Radhakrishnan and others attended the function. Designed with equal emphasis on medical treatment and the emotional well-being of children, the new ward has 20 beds, a dedicated play area and a modern nursing station. Jubilee Mission Hospital has so far provided free cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to around 26,000 children. Each child is provided with a comprehensive treatment plan involving up to four surgeries over a period of two years to achieve functional and aesthetic correction. The cost of the four procedures, estimated at Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh per child, has been sponsored by Smile Train for the past 25 years.