21-04-2025
JIPMER holds nurses mentorship for holistic cleft lip care
The Department of Plastic Surgery at JIPMER, through the Smile Train Cleft Project, organised a nurses mentorship programme on rendering comprehensive cleft care through feeding and nutrition.
Inaugurating the initiative, Ravi Kumar Chittoria, acting Medical Superintendent and Senior Professor of Plastic Surgery, emphasised the role of nursing mentorship in enhancing early care and outcomes for children with cleft lip and palate.
Pushpalata, Nursing Superintendent, JIPMER, stressed the need for regular upskilling of nursing teams to ensure high-quality cleft care.
V.S. Negi, Director, JIPMER, encouraged the team to develop a mobile cleft care outreach system, utilizing a van procured from project funds to extend services such as speech therapy and parental counselling to remote areas.
According to Friji M.T., Head of the Department of Plastic Surgery, JIPMER, the joint initiative with Smile Train, sought to empower local medical teams to deliver free, safe, and comprehensive cleft care to children in need.
Devi Prasad Mohapatra, Project Director of the JIPMER Smile Train Cleft Project, reaffirmed the project's commitment to innovation and capacity-building.
The academic sessions covered critical topics including breastfeeding strategies, nasoalveolar
molding (NAM), nutrition, and post-surgical care. Demonstrations on feeding techniques, breast milk handling, anthropometric measurements, and NAM were delivered by experienced nursing and
orthodontic staff.
The core of the mentorship program focused on practical strategies and techniques.
While Aparna K. P., Orthodontic Technician, Plastic Surgery, JIPMER, explained the concept and application of Nasoalveolar Molding (NAM), S. Vijaya Lakshmi, Nursing Officer, provided guidance on measuring and interpreting growth in children with cleft lip and palate. Rakhi George, Nursing Officer, elaborated the practical aspects of post-surgery diet and nursing care.
Kanav Gupta, Senior Resident in Plastic Surgery, Rajeshwari, Project Coordinator for the JIPMER Smile Train Cleft Project, and Vijayageetha, Senior Nursing Officer also spoke.
According to JIPMER, dedicated cleft clinics are operated in the Plastic Surgery OPD at the Super Specialty Block every Tuesday under S. Dinesh Kumar and every Thursday under Dr. Mohapatra.
