In its PONSETI Clinic, HEAL Africa Hospital welcomes many children born with clubfoot, offering them free corrective care through its partnership with HOPE WALKS. The World Clubfoot Day, normally celebrated on June 3rd of each year, was commemorated on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at HEAL Africa Hospital to align with the activities of the PONSETI clinic, which take place every Thursday.

On this occasion, Dr. Jonathan M. LUSI, orthopedic surgeon and founder of HEAL Africa Hospital, marked the 12 years of partnership between HEAL Africa and HOPE WALKS by cutting a symbolic cake. This collaboration has given hope to thousands of children born with clubfoot in the DRC.

Non-surgical correction of the foot

Non-surgical correction of the foot is possible before the age of two through the PONSETI technique, which involves gentle manipulation to reposition the child’s foot in the correct position and correct the deformity. Then, a plaster is applied to maintain the position. In some
cases, minor surgical intervention involving cutting the Achilles tendon to allow full movement of the foot may be necessary.

At this stage, the child wears special braces to maintain the correction and prevent recurrence of the deformity. The process concludes with regular follow-up to monitor the progress of the correction and make necessary adjustments.

Bringing care closer to children born with clubfoot

Based at HEAL Africa Hospital in Goma, the HOPE WALKS program has 13 clubfoot correction clinics in five provinces of the DRC including North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Maniema and Kinshasa. Every year, approximately 1000 children benefit from free corrective care in DRC. “This represents only one fifth of the children born with this malformation in the entire country,” emphasized Bernard UZABAKIRIHO, program manager for HOPE WALKS in DRC.

To make corrective care for clubfoot more accessible in DRC, HEAL Africa Hospital has established a school for training nurses in orthopedics. After their training in Goma, learners return to their original structures to put their acquired expertise at the service of the community.