Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain has pledged to launch a nationwide program for the rehabilitation of children born with cleft lip and cleft palate in Bangladesh. The announcement was made at a gala dinner held at Gulshan Club in Dhaka, organized by the Government Employees Hospital in collaboration with Smile Asia, the Ministry of Public Administration, Dhaka Bank PLC, and SAJIDA Foundation under the theme 'A Pledge for New Smiles.' As part of the initiative, 69 children underwent free corrective surgeries. The minister praised the medical team and acknowledged the support provided by the Government Employees Hospital. He invited Smile Asia and SAJIDA Foundation to organize similar initiatives in the future and announced the government's plan to elevate the effort into a national program during Smile Asia's next visit. The event was attended by Dhaka Bank PLC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Osman Ershad Faiz, SAJIDA Foundation Chief Executive Officer Zahida Fizza Kabir, Smile Asia Secretary General Abhimanyu Talukdar, and Director General (Additional Secretary) of the Government Employees Hospital Md. A. Razzaque Sarker, among others.
The initiative aims to address the suffering and emotional hardship faced by children born with cleft lip or palate, providing them with necessary medical interventions. The success of the recent surgeries has demonstrated the potential impact of such programs, encouraging the government to expand these services nationwide.
