Sustainable Clubfoot Care
in the Developing World
Sue Banton
steps Charity Worldwide
Clubfoot - a spiral into Deformity Disability
Dependency Demoralization Depression Despair
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Worldwide there are 136,500 annual newborns with
Clubfoot - the majority in the developing world have little
access to treatment.
Neglected & inadequately treated CF is one of the biggest
causes of locomotor disability.
Asia
Sub-Saharan Middle East
Africa
Latin
America
Europe
North
america
Why treat clubfoot?
Uganda Sustainable
Clubfoot Care Project
April 1, 2004 – September 30, 2010
Participants
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University of British Columbia
(UBC)
Makerere University Medical
School (MUMS)
Orthopaedic Technology Training
School, Mulago (OTTS)
School for Orthopaedic Officers,
Mulago (SOO)
Nursing Council of Uganda (NCU)
Comprehensive Orthopaedic
Rehabilitation Services of Uganda
(CORSU)
Uganda Ministry of Health (MOH)
Christian Blind Mission (CBM)
Canadian International
Development Association (CIDA)
Canada-Uganda collaboration to
improve sustainable clubfoot care
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6 year CIDA funded project.
1500 babies are born with clubfeet each year in
Uganda.
1999 - 2003 pilot project introduced a nonsurgical method of clubfoot correction (the
Ponseti Method).
Aims:
Build capacity throughout the Ugandan Healthcare
System for the early detection and treatment of the
congenital clubfoot.
Build capacity in Ugandan Healthcare Schools to teach
detection and management of the clubfoot.
Collect baseline and efficacy data of this method in
Uganda.
Outputs: (end of 2 years)
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Incorporated clubfoot
detection and management
by the Ponseti Method into
the curriculum of all
medical and paramedical
schools in Uganda.
Clubfoot clinics were
established at five Regional
Referral Hospitals.
An Ethnocultural Survey
was completed.
An incidence at birth
survey was started.
Does it work in Uganda?
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A multi-partner
collaboration is
building capacity in
Uganda by:
• teaching clubfoot
care.
• detecting and
treating clubfeet in
a way that is
economically and
socially sustainable
for Uganda.
Can it work Globally?
The dream is for all countries to have a sustainable clubfoot
care programme to eradicate the neglected clubfoot disability
that stops so many children from walking.
steps involvement
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Supported training in:
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Bulgaria
Brazil
China
Ethiopia
Fiji
Kenya
Looking for funding to
develop a Sustainable
Clubfoot Care
programme in Kenya.
Thank You
Shafique Pirani, MD, FRCSC
Ignacio V. Ponseti, MD
University of Iowa Hospitals and
Clinics, Department of
Orthopaedics, Iowa City, Iowa
Professor, Department of
Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine
University of British Columbia
Project Director Uganda Sustainable Clubfoot
Care Project
Dr. Norgrove Penny
University of British Columbia
Canada
steps
Warrington Lane
Lymm
Cheshire
WA13 0SA
Tel. 0871 7170044
website - www.steps-charity.org.uk
email - info@steps-charity.org uk
steps Charity Worldwide
Registered Charity No 1094343