The third Annual Refresher Training on the Ponseti method of Club Foot management is being organised at Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) on 14th November in association with Cure International, an NGO dedicated to the task of helping children suffering from this disorder.
The training programme was inaugurated by the Acting Director Incharge (BGH) Dr GN Sahoo in the presence of Dr KN Thakur, Director (BGH), Jt Director & HoD (Ortho), BGH Dr ND Kachhap and other senior doctors of the hospital. Also present on this occasion were Dr Mathew Verghese, Medical Director of CURE International and an internationally acclaimed senior Orthopaedic surgeon at St Stephen’s Hospital New Delhi, Dr S George, Director (CURE International), A Ekka, Programme Co-ordinator and other dignitaries.
The training programme is being attended by Orthopaedic surgeons from BGH, RIMS (Ranchi), MGMMCH (Jamshedpur), PMCH (Dhanbad) and District hospitals from Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Palamu and West Singhbhum (Chaibasa).
Clubfoot is one of the most common birth deformities. Children born with club foot have feet turned inward, pointed downward, and bent in the middle. In India it is estimated that around 50,000 children are born with club foot every year. The incidence of club foot is 2 in every 1000 child birth. In Jharkhand, it is estimated that around 1500 children are born with clubfoot every year.
Notably, BSl under its CSR activities has entered into a MoU with CURE International to help eradicate this problem. A weekly club foot management clinic is run free of cost at BGH by a team of doctors of BGH and CURE counselor under the leadership of Dr. Kachhap. Nearly 120 children are enrolled at BGH Clubfoot Clinic. Dr Verghese, who is the Chief Trainer of this Refresher course, explained the details of the Ponseti method of Club Foot management to the participating surgeons.
The Ponseti Method for club foot treatment is accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons as the standard for clubfoot treatment. The Ponseti Method uses a series of plaster casts over 4 – 6 weeks to correct the deformity, immediately followed by use of foot abduction braces, worn 23 hours per day for 3 months and then worn during night and nap time for 3 to 4 years, to prevent recurrence. Club Foot is curable if properly managed and the Ponseti method has had a great success in this regard.