Guwahati: Swedish surgeons will attempt to give a fresh lease of life to three-year-old Miriam Begum, who suffers from the most severe form of cleft lip and palate deformity.

The child's case is the most complicated Swedish surgeons Pernille Lindholm and Mikael Andersen have come across at the Guwahati Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre (GC4) of Mission Smile at Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) here. They are usually flown in to deal with complicated cases. Miriam has also lost vision in her right eye.

"When we got to know about the case a few months back, we began to analyse all aspects. Her surgery will begin in the next few days. It will be a stage-wise operation with several procedures, which will take a few years. We will try to cover the soft tissues first," said Lindholm.

Surgeons have performed nearly 18,000 free surgeries at GC4 since it was set up almost a decade ago but the severity of Miriam's condition has baffled them.

"There have been other severe cases but not to this extent. Out of 1,200 patients suffering from cleft deformities, only seven such cases are reported. A surgeon has reported that he had seen only 22 such cases in his life," said Hiteswar Sarma, a surgeon at GC4, who will be part of the team that conducted the surgery on Miriam.

"When she was born, she was referred to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. At GMCH, we were told to come to GC4. We have come to GC4 on 16 occasions earlier. Now we can see some hope. She is very playful even with this problem. Sometimes, she asks what is wrong with her and we tell her she will be okay," said Miriam's father Tahazur Ali, a daily labourer from Bhulukagiri in Morigaon district.