Cleft care is not one operation. It is a sequence that follows a child from infancy through speech development and, for some, into the teenage years. This page explains that pathway.
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Each stage has a purpose and a window of time when it works best.
The first repair, usually planned in early infancy.
Read more →Closing the palate to support feeding and speech.
Read more →The full set of cleft and facial pages in one place.
Read more →Other birth differences treated alongside cleft care.
Read more →Practical help with feeding a baby who has a cleft palate.
Read more →What parents ask before a first operation.
Read more →Bring the child's birth records, weight chart and any feeding notes from the paediatrician. Weight gain matters, because it often decides when the first operation can safely go ahead.
Families travelling from outside Surat should send photographs and reports in advance. Assessment, paediatric review and blood tests can then be arranged on the same trip.
203, Trinity Business Park, OPP G3 Store, Madhuvan Circle, LP Savani Road, Adajan, Surat, Gujarat 395009.
Timings Mon to Sat · 10:00 to 19:00 · OPD by appointment
320, Times Square, Canal Road, Bharthana, Nr. G.D.Goenka International School, Vesu, Surat, Gujarat 395007.
Timings Mon to Sat · 10:00 to 18:00 · Emergency 24×7
Dr. Ashutosh Shah is a Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgeon (DNB) practising in Surat, Gujarat. The work covered by this site is reconstructive, which means restoring form and function after birth differences, burns, injury, cancer surgery, infection and chronic wounds.
Consultations are unhurried. You are told what the problem is, which options genuinely apply, what each involves, and what it will realistically achieve, including where an operation is not the right answer.
Cleft procedures are covered under PM JAY for eligible families, and empanelment and package approval are confirmed before admission.
Cleft care runs over years, so the travelling pattern matters. Visits are grouped where it is safe to do so.
Each page below covers one kind of work at the Surat clinic, with the questions patients ask about it, the cost band and how to reach the team.
These come up in almost every first consultation. If yours is not here, send it on WhatsApp and the team will reply, usually the same day.
Ask your question →Lip repair is usually planned in early infancy, once the baby is feeding and gaining weight steadily and is fit for anaesthesia. Palate repair follows later, timed to support speech development.
Many children need the lip and palate repairs and little else. Others need further stages such as bone grafting or speech surgery, and the likely sequence is explained at the first consultation.
Many children develop clear speech, and some need speech therapy or a further small operation to get there. Speech is reviewed regularly rather than assumed, so problems are picked up early.
A scar always remains, and it usually softens and fades over years. Careful repair and sun protection help, and revision is considered later if the scar or the lip shape needs improvement.
Cleft procedures fall within scheme packages for eligible families. Bring the scheme card and identity documents so approval can be raised before admission.
Some babies manage partly, though a palate cleft makes suction difficult and a soft squeezable bottle with a wider teat is often needed. A feeding counsellor can show the technique.
Yes. Send photographs, the weight chart and any paediatric reports, and the team can advise on likely timing and what to prepare before you travel.
