LARKANA: Club foot cases among newborns are rising day by day as over 100 new cases are monthly reported at the Club Foot Clinic established in the Orthopaedics Surgery Ward of the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
This was revealed by Prof. Zamir Soomro, Head of Department, Orthopaedics Surgery, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Larkana, while talking to newsmen Tuesday.
He said researchers around the globe have so far failed to find the causes of this disease but timely Ponseti Treatment can save a child from lifetime disability, he claimed. He said if government did not take fool proof timely actions ratio of disability among the new-borns will continue to increase. He said Club Foot Clinic is working in CMCH since last eight years but neither Sindh Government nor CMCH authorities have supported them except supply plaster, bandage and all the other expenditure is borne by them adding even staff has been hired by is.
Prof. Zamir said few years back Sindh Government talked about establishing Specialized Centre of Ponseti Treatment but nothing has so far come out which is tragic. He said treatment is weekly provided to 80 to 90 cases and over 350 in a month are given required treatment in CMCH’s Civil Hospital out of who over 100 are new cases which is very alarming number.
He said these are the figures of one hospital alone and many poverty-stricken parents leave the treatment of their children in mid rendering their minor kids to suffer for life. He said if parents bring their such children within first week of their birth then they could be treated within two to three months and delay will complicate the issue. He said worldwide, out of eight new born children two are suffering from Club Foot disease and their legs are improper. He said due to lack of awareness among the parent and unavailability of resources many new born children are suffering from disability for life and they are not brought at the hospital.
He demanded of the Sindh rulers to help in reducing the sufferings of the affected new born children.