New Delhi, May 5 (Inditop.com) Clubfoot patients will now be able to get non-surgical treatment at nominal charges in Delhi, state Health Minister Kiran Walia said Wednesday.
International organisation Cure Clubfoot Worldwide will provide technical know-how, training and treatment shoes free of cost to five Delhi government hospitals — Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Balmiki Maharishi, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Deen Dayal Upadhayay.
The state government Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect with the organisation.
“Cure Clubfoot, on a pilot-project basis, started working with some hospitals of the city last year. After seeing their credentials and work, we signed the MoU with them,” Walia told reporters.
Clubfoot is a congenital deformity in which the affected foot appears rotated internally at the ankle.
Walia said at least one child out of 750 is born with clubfoot in the city and 842 children with the congenital birth defect were treated last year.
“Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) will work at the grassroot level to make people aware that the disease is curable,” she added.
The surgical process to cure clubfoot is common in the developing countries. The organisation uses the non-surgical casting procedure, which is said to be economical.
Cure Clubfoot Worldwide has been working in 17 countries to eliminate the disease.
E. Andrew Mayo of Cure Clubfoot Worldwide said: “The MoU is just a formal agreement according to which we will provide technical know-how and training. Besides, we will organise refresher courses for doctors here.”
