July is National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month. In India, 35,000 children are born with clefts every year. Those untreated face difficulty in eating, breathing, hearing and speaking, greatly affecting their ability to thrive.
Dr B Krishnamurthy, Smile Train Project Director at Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Hospital in Bangalore, has performed multiple cleft surgeries over the past two decades.
He speaks to All Indians Matter.
