Guwahati: In the rush to prove their nationality, some parents of children with cleft lip and palate, and availing treatment for the facial disorder under Mission Smile, have not been able to come either to the comprehensive cleft care centre here or in the districts where mission camps treat patients. In an effort to include names of their families in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) those parents who have yet to ascertain or prove their nationalities and are awaiting hearings at trial courts or still pursuing verification of their respective documents are missing out on dates scheduled for treating and counselling of their children afflicted with cleft lip and palate.
Officials at the Guwahati Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre (GC4) under Mission Smile said that in the past couple of months the impact of NRC and the rush to include names in it to make sure that families are not left out has impacted parents availing of treatment for their children.
"This has been going on for the past four to five months. We have observed that the flow of patients has lessened. Besides, we have been getting information from officials at the ground level in districts like Goalpara, Dhubri, Barpeta and others that the NRC proceedings have hindered people from coming to camps or GC4. The focus for them is now on getting their names included in the NRC. Some of them may have their hearing going on and some of them are busy in the verification of documents," said one official.
In Goalpara, one of the districts where there is a steady flow of patients availing of free treatment for cleft deformities, one official from that district said due to NRC proceedings there has been a slight fall in the flow of patients seeking this free facility.
"The impact of the NRC has been noticed in Goalpara in the last two month. We have been organising missions since some years. Due to NRC many patients and their parents have not been able to come. It is more widely visible in Lakhipur and Agia. Around 10 beneficiaries have confirmed that due to NRC-related work they have been missing out on treatment," said an official from Goalpara.
Mission Smile is a government-registered and Fair Credit Reports Act-approved medical charitable trust dedicated to free treatment of adults and children afflicted with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.