West Bengal, Mar 03: Global investment institution Lighthouse Canton, through its CSR platform Spreading Smiles, has partnered with Mission Smile to implement a structured cleft lip and cleft palate surgery mission in Krishnanagar, West Bengal. The initiative aims to restore health, confidence, and dignity to children and young adults from underserved communities who are born with cleft conditions.
The Krishnanagar mission is part of a larger programme to deliver 100 free corrective cleft surgeries across Hyderabad and West Bengal by March 2026, providing comprehensive, end-to-end care for beneficiaries at no cost.
Implemented through a Mission model at Hiramani Memorial Hospital, Krishnanagar, patient screening for the West Bengal mission commenced on 28th February 2026, with surgeries beginning on 1st March 2026. Approximately 50 free cleft surgeries are expected to be completed over the course of this mission.
The programme was preceded by a surgical camp in Hyderabad from 9th to 11th February 2026, conducted through an outreach centre model, during which 28 free cleft surgeries were successfully completed. An additional 22 surgeries are planned under the Hyderabad leg, reinforcing the programme’s phased and outcome-driven approach.
Across both locations, surgeries are being performed by multidisciplinary medical teams comprising specialists in plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery, anaesthesiology, paediatrics, dentistry and nursing, ensuring clinically rigorous, safe, and holistic care for every patient.
All patients supported under the programme receive completely free care, including transportation, accommodation, meals, pre-operative evaluations, surgeries, medicines, and post-operative follow-up. Where required, additional services such as psychological counselling and nutritional guidance are also provided.
Speaking at the mission in Krishnanagar, Himangshu Baruah, Executive Director – Chief Marketing Officer at Lighthouse Canton, said, “Every one of the 100 surgeries in this programme represents far more than a medical procedure, it is a turning point in their lives. After meeting the beneficiaries in person in Krishnanagar post surgeries I could experience the difference we made to their world. I am humbled to see them eat and speak as they dreamt of. Our partnership with Mission Smile is our commitment to ensuring that economic circumstance is never the reason anyone is denied that chance. At Lighthouse Canton, we believe that true prosperity is measured not just in financial returns, but in the lives, we help rebuild”.
The programme is anchored under Lighthouse Canton’s Spreading Smiles CSR platform, which focuses on enabling access to critical healthcare through credible partnerships, structured delivery models, and measurable outcomes.
Founded in 2002, Mission Smile is a registered medical charitable trust with over two decades of experience in delivering free cleft care across India. To date, the organisation has conducted medical evaluations for more than 76,000 patients and performed over 50,800 free cleft surgeries nationwide.
The Krishnanagar mission is being supported by Hiramani Memorial Hospital, which is providing clinical infrastructure and specialist medical expertise to ensure the successful execution of the programme.
