CLUBFOOT IN THE PHILIPPINES 2018: HAND IN HAND WITH MIRACLE FEET AND PNGOC

Clubfoot is a common congenital birth defect with an average prevalence of 1 per 800  to 1000 live births. (1) 

According to Miracle Feet data, about 3,523 children with Clubfoot are born in the Philippines.(2)

Neglected clubfoot results in disability and as a child grows up, he is subjected to bullying  and being made fun of, thus, leading to low self esteem on the Clubfoot children. Others are deprived of the opportunities, whether the choice of educational field and also in the work place because of preformed ideas on the disability. Families are affected as well emotionally and financially.

Physically, the Clubfoot child has difficulty in walking and in wearing shoes

The important aspect of this birth defect is that Clubfoot is TREATABLE!!!

"Parents of infants born with clubfeet may be reassured that their baby, if otherwise normal, when treated by expert hands will have normal looking feet with normal function for all practical purposes. The well treated clubfoot is no handicap and is fully compatible with normal, active life." Ignacio Ponseti, M.D.(3)

Let us now look forward to a world where a Clubfoot child can walk and run free from disability, as envisioned by the consortium called the Global Clubfoot Initiative (GCI) with the battlecry  #runfree2030,

The best present we can give to the clubfoot kids is the OPPORTUNITY FOR A NORMAL AND ACTIVE LIFE just as Dr. Ignacio Ponseti found out as he developed the Ponseti Method resulting in a well treated clubfoot with no handicap.  (3)

Here is Nurbin who at 2 years old was already running around with his Clubfoot but after several months of treatment now has better positioned feet. He is now on BRACING to prevent relapse.

Did you ever imagine the normal foot as the outcome?

Some call it magic... others say it is a miracle!

And this "MIRACLE" with angels on earth is what we want to share with the Clubfoot kids we have in the Philippines!

This miracle came upon the Philippine Clubfoot situation through Miracle Feet (2), a US based NGO founded by parents of children born with clubfoot in the US and whose mission is to increase access for proper treatment in low-income and middle -income countires through partnership with local health providers.

Miracle Feet had been in the Philippines since 2014 but became more active outside NCR and major cities, early this 2018, with the new Program Manager for Miracle Feet Asia, Ms. Cristina Mosende.

Miracle Feet and PNGOC for the Philippine National Clubfoot Program

The new local provider for the Philippines in the last quarter of 2018 is the Philippine NGO Council for Population Health and Welfare (PNGOC) who has fast-tracked the partnership with more regional health providers, now reaching 19 Ponseti clinics all throughout the Philippines as of June 2019 and with more to come. This is attributable to the Executive Director of PNGOC, Ms. Eden Divinagracia and team.

PNGOC Executive Director Dr. Eden Divinagracia and Dr. Rey Salinel during the renewal of the MOU with ZCMC Clubfoot Clinic last January 5, 2019.

Free Clubfoot treatment supplies and Miracle Feet Braces are now made available to all these clinics, thus FREE treatment is now accessible in many centers in the Philippines.

Here are the Ponseti Clinics in the Philippines partnering with Miracle Feet and the Philippine NGO Council (PNGOC).


Here is a Before and After photo at the ZCMC Clubfoot Clinic of  four of the Clubfoot kids, ages 12 days to 15 years old, with ongoing treatment using the Ponseti Method 

The changes are REAL!!!

We now have several Clubfoot kids and young adults ages 4 to 22 years with the so-called neglected Clubfoot with ongoing Ponseti treatment and they are responding well, although, they still have to complete their treatment for the final success rate to be determined. 

The Ponseti Method utilizes weekly gentle manipulation with casting for an average of 6 to 8 weeks followed with possible Tenotomy then Foot Abduction Bracing for 23 hours per day for the first three months and followed by bracing during naps and sleep time up to 5 years old, or an average of an additional 10 to 30 months to prevent relapse. (4) 

Clubfoot kids on Cast 

Clubfoot kids on Foot Abduction Braces from Miracle Feet

We now realize that "THERE IS HOPE FOR CLUBFOOT" whatever the age and we just have to refer the children to the Clubfoot Treatment providers to find out the options and the chances for improvement.

ZCMC Clubfoot Clinic Team: Head, Dr. George Rojo; Treatment providers: Dr. Carl Delatado, Dr. Joshua Comaingking, Dr. JayR Alviar, Dr. John Antolin Go; Site Coordinator, Ms. Natalys Sousa; Volunteers, Ms. Bea Flauta and Dr. Filipinas Rojo 

We, in the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) Clubfoot Clinic together with, and as part of the Philippine National Clubfoot Program passionately want to SPREAD THE ADVOCACY that:

CLUBFOOT IS TREATABLE!

FREE TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE in the PHILIPPINES. 

The ZCMC Clubfoot Clinic and the Clubfoot in Zamboanga PH Program would like to invite you to share with us in this advocacy through:

**building awareness

**improving clubfoot identification and referral processes

**providing free treatment services as well as

**training for providers in strategic places in the Zamboanga Peninsula and neighboring islands to make treatment more accessible. 

Find out how can you help in whatever little way!

Thank you to Miracle Feet and PNGOC!
Thank you, families and friends of the Clubfoot kids for the love, commitment and support for the children to complete treatment!

Let us always remember...

Clubfoot is treatable!

Clubfoot Treatment is FREE at the 

ZCMC Clubfoot Clinic 

every Saturday, 8-11 am 

at ZCMC Ward 2.

 References

1 Adnan Ansar, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of global birth prevalence of clubfoot: a study protocol, BMJ Open, 2018: 8(3); e019246
2 Miracle Feet website https://www.miraclefeet.org/

3 http://www.ponseti.info/ponseti-method.html

4 Christof Radler, The Ponseti method for the treatment of congenital club foot: review of the current literature and treatment recommendations
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3764299/