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Every year 1500 children are born with Club Foot in Karnataka. In cases where children are born to families that are economically backward, this means that in many cases the child with Club Foot invariably grows up disabled. The congenital clubfoot is the most common serious birth defect of human bones and joints. Left untreated, the foot remains twisted inwards and becomes painful. The walking child bears weight on the thin skin on the top of the foot. Deformity leads to a downward spiral of disability, dependency & demoralization. Disabled individuals are rarely productive or valued members of society. Their needs add to the burdens of their families and communities.
Hejje Guruthu - The Sustainable Clubfoot Programme in Karnataka is a public- private initiative between the Government of Karnataka & SPARSH Hospital. With the objective of making Karnataka a "Neglected Club Foot Free State", the programme brings together the clinical and process skills of SPARSH Hospital together with governmental infrastructure to search, identify, correct, treat and review children with Club Foot for free.
The programme is being launched by the Honorable Chief Minister of Government of Karnataka, Shri. B.S Yeddyurappa at 12:00hrs on 13th June 2008 at the Conference Hall, Third Floor, Vidhana Soudha. The chief guests of the function are Shri Sriramulu, Honorable Minister for Health and Shri P M Narendraswamy, Honorable Minister for Women and Child Development.
Using a process called the Ponseti Technique (developed by Professor Ignacio Ponseti) a serial plastering technique; the treatment has been shown to have a 95% success rate with young club foot patients. Used extensively in the US, Europe and Africa, the clinical results have been remarkable. With its high success rates and ease of implementation the Ponseti Technique of treatment of the congenital clubfoot has been shown to be effective in many developed and developing countries of the world. The surgical technique required is minimally invasive kind and is called percutaneous tenotomy. The goal is to make Ponseti Treatment available to all affected infants born in Karnataka in a timely, safe, effective and sustainable manner.
The projects methodology is to
- Build awareness
Among healthcare workers, Anganwadi and Sthree Shakthi workers and the society in general regarding detecting the clubfoot deformity and the availability of appropriate treatment.
- Build capacity in two areas:
- Train over hundred medical professionals across the state at the Sparsh Hospital club foot treatment center.
- To persuade the appropriate authorities to include Ponsetti method of treating club foot in the medical curriculum.
- Monitor the results
All the partners involved in the treatment of the club foot will take digital pictures and mail them to the central monitoring system at Sparsh hospital were the results are assessed and monitored.
SPARSH Hospital is leading this initiative. It seeks to build scale and roll out the programme aggressively across the state to create reach and accessibility to all corners of Karnataka and its people.
SPARSH Hospital has already set up a training and treatment hub. Training materials have been developed and as our initial partners JSS Medical College Mysore and SS Institute of Medical Sciences, Davengere have been inducted. The expansion plans are aggressive; the capacity will be scaled up to cover 12 districts by the end of this year. With the aim to create accessibility and reach, this programme will have statewide scope and impact. An initiative of this kind is truly unique - a partnership between government and private healthcare where the beneficiaries are the children of Karnataka and that too from economically backward families. It's a first of its kind.
Children are the future of Karnataka. Their future is our responsibility. Disability due to Club Foot should come to an end. For years now many children that were born with Club Foot grew up disabled; disabled and broken. Affected children should have the same opportunities as non affected children and have the same life trajectory as any other child in Karnataka. Effective treatment corrects the deformity and Hejje Guruthu is the beginning of a healthcare movement and possibly the beginning of the end of neglected Club Foot.
A little about Sparsh Hospital....The Touch of Life
SPARSH Hospital for Accidents, Orthopaedics, Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery is a vibrant specialty medical centre. Staffed by a medical, nursing and support team that have worked at some of the leading national and international hospitals, who practice the very latest in medical science. They are supported by an infrastructure that has been set up to ensure the very best in the delivery of medical care. On site world class equipment, operation suites, technology and communication systems are also leveraged to deliver quality healthcare with compassion. Each of its specialities are developed into knowledge centers, offering customised and appropriate treatment plans using the collective wisdom of its medical team and in depth expertise.
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