The Nigeria Partners on Clubfoot Treatment on Monday said over 10,000 children are born with clubfoot yearly in Nigeria.
The President of Nigeria Clubfoot Treatment Partners and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Peace Amaraegbulam made this known in a press statement to commemorate World Clubfoot Day with the theme, ‘Empowering life: Steps to Clubfoot Freedom.’
World Clubfoot Day is celebrated on June 3rd annually to raise awareness about clubfoot and underscore the importance of early detection, referral, and timely treatment.
The Nigeria Partners on Clubfoot Treatment consisting of three non-governmental organisations said no child should suffer from untreated clubfoot and called for the integration of clubfoot treatment into the public health system.
Amaraegbulam describes Clubfoot as the most common musculoskeletal birth defect which causes the feet to turn inwards and upwards.
She said, “In Nigeria, over 10,000 children are born with this condition each year and without treatment, walking becomes extremely difficult and painful as children walk on the sides of their feet.
“This leads to discrimination, social stigmatisation, and loss of economic opportunities.”
He, however, said the Ponseti treatment is an effective option for clubfoot but barriers such as out-of-pocket healthcare costs, poor access to healthcare facilities, inadequate number of healthcare professionals and lack of foot-abduction braces prevent many Nigerian children from accessing care.
An online portal, Hospital for Special Surgery noted that the Ponseti method is a systematic series of casting and orthotic bracing treatments that permanently and nonsurgically corrects clubfoot in young children.
The statement also noted that the Nigeria Partners on Clubfoot Treatment consisting of the Straight Child Foundation, HANDS, and Positive Care and Development Foundation in collaboration with MiracleFeet is ensuring that children with clubfoot can receive care locally.
“These three organisations in Nigeria, operate clubfoot clinics in select states. To avail yourself of the free clubfoot treatment, kindly locate the clinic nearest to you in the state where you reside. The clinic schedules specific days for treatment, ensuring children receive the necessary care and support for clubfoot correction.
We call on the government and health institutions to integrate free clubfoot into Nigeria’s health system to enable the treatment to be more accessible.
Philanthropists should also consider giving towards the cause of providing free treatment for the clients, especially the neglected older children,” the statement added.