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Time of India

Child health scheme in Varanasi helping rid kids of clubfoot

Varanasi: Under the health department's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram and Anushka foundation, 70 children suffering from clubfoot recovered after treatment in Varanasi district since 2019, said Dr Sandeep Chaudhary, chief medical officer. He said 512 children were treated under the programme in the district, of whom 64 had recovered fully. In Apr 2025, nine children came for treatment and six underwent surgery. There are clubfoot OPDs at Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Hospital on Saturdays, SSPG Divisional Hospital, Kabirchaura on Wednesdays, and BHU Trauma Center on Thursdays from 9am to 2 pm. He said parents often worried when they noticed newborns having crooked feet, fearing it to be an incurable condition and the fear heightened all the more when the affected child was a girl. The condition is known as 'clubfoot' and it is curable with timely treatment. The CMO said clubfoot was treated using Ponseti method , involving casting of the foot in the first phase to help it straighten gradually using plaster that is changed weekly for 4 to 8 weeks. In the second phase, a minor 10-minute outpatient procedure called tenotomy is performed, to cut the Achilles tendon and increase foot flexibility. The third phase involves putting on a brace that has to be worn for 4 to 5 years to maintain correct foot position and to prevent relapse. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Writing in English Doesn't Have to Feel Hard Grammarly Learn More Undo Additional CMO and RBSK nodal officer, Dr Sanjay Rai, stressed RBSK team be notified by local health centres, ASHA, ANM, or Anganwadi workers if any child was found affected , ensuring free and proper treatment. Registration is done at for treatment and regular monitoring. This condition causes congenital foot deformity, affecting one in 800 children.