Paraplegic centre marks World Clubfoot Day

PESHAWAR: Gifts were distributed among children with clubfoot at an event organised by the Paraplegic Centre Peshawar in Hayatabad to mark the World Clubfoot Day.

At the event, their parents of the children with clubfoot shared their experiences about the treatment facilities at the centre.

Peshawar Development Authority Director General Capt (R) Khalid Mehmood attended the event as the chief guest. He interacted with the children and distributed gifts and sweets among them.

Khalid Mehmood was informed that free treatment was being provided at the paraplegic centre, which enabled children with clubfoot to recover in a few years and participate in normal activities, including sports and education.

He appreciated the services being provided at the centre. He commended Dr Ilyas Syed for the provision of free treatment and rehabilitation of spinal cord injury patients by establishing a state-of-the-art factory for manufacturing assistive devices and setting up a clinic for children with speech and autism spectrum disorders.

Dr Ilyas launched a Doctor of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy degree programme.

Dr Syed Mohammad Ilyas, Chief Executive of Paraplegic Centre and Dr Amir Zeb, Director of Rehabilitation and Club Foot Programme Coordinator, announced plans to establish more clubfoot clinics in various cities and districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Dr Ilyas stated that since 2018 the Paraplegic Centre Peshawar had provided free treatment to children with clubfoot, including complete rehabilitation from initial casting to 4-5 years of follow-up. He said that even transportation expenses were covered for deserving families to ensure no child was left untreated due to financial constraints.

The clubfoot clinics were established in major hospitals across the province, including Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, Saidu Group of Teaching Hospitals Swat, and Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad. A clinic is also operational at the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in Islamabad.

Dr Ilyas emphasized the importance of International Clubfoot Day in raising awareness about this birth defect, which affected millions of people globally but was treatable with timely intervention. The day aims to encourage children undergoing treatment and honour the medical professionals dedicated to this cause, he added. He highlighted that 8.9 million children worldwide were born with clubfoot, with 7.8 million living with permanent disability due to lack of treatment. Almost 200,000 children were born with clubfoot annually, but over 95 percent can fully recover with timely treatment, he said.

Dr Ilyas said that Miracle Feet (MF), an organization committed to treating clubfoot by partnering with local health institutions, utilized the Ponseti technique, which included weekly plaster casts and a simple Achilles tendon tenotomy, followed by the use of special DB shoes during sleep times of clubfoot children for 4-5 years to prevent recurrence.