As many as 69 ENT (ear, nose, throat) and plastic surgeons from Bihar and Jharkhand assembled in Ranchi on Sunday to throw light on aspects of plastic surgery at a symposium held at Devkamal Hospital and Research Centre on Itki Road.

The chief guest on the occasion was Dr Raghav Sharan, an eminent city-based ENT surgeon.

Addressing the gathering, he said plastic and ENT surgery had expanded in scope over the years.

Dr Anant Sinha, a cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgeon said plastic surgery was yet to gain popularity in the rural areas due to lack of awareness.

“We need a lot of promotion, which we are trying hard to achieve,” he said.

He added that plastic surgery could treat 90 per cent of birth defects and the most common correction carried out was for cleft lips.

“We also perform plastic surgery for facial injuries and post-cancer defects,” Sinha said.

The doctor also sought to clear the misconception that plastic surgery was all about cosmetic surgery.

“It’s not even five per cent for cosmetic purposes. It largely involves trauma related and cleft injuries,” he said.

Sinha has so far has successfully performed 4,500 cleft palate surgeries in Jharkhand as part of the Smile Train project over the last six years.

“Approximately 13,000 children born with cleft lips live in Jharkhand,” he said.

Chandigarh-based plastic surgeon Ramesh Sharma praised the organisers for holding such a workshop, as he brought to the fore various aspects of plastic surgery.

The 100-bed Devkamal Hospital and Research Centre came into existence on October 23, 2008 and offers various types of facilities.

A new cosmetic wing, cleft ward and burn ward have also been set up for the benefit of patients.