THE ORTHOPAEDIC CENTRE
Around 2% of India’s child population suffers from polio.
Most of them belong to the economically weaker sections of society, whose
parents lack the awareness and resources to provide the necessary treatment
to their children. In order to address this desperate need,
DCCW started a
mobile orthopaedic programme in 1987 to carry orthopaedic services to the
doorsteps of these children.
However, as the numbers grew, it became necessary to systematize and consolidate these orthopaedic services. In 1991, DCCW set up the Orthopaedic Centre in Janakpuri, West Delhi, to provide a complete range of rehabilitation services – including surgery, physiotherapy, fitment of aids and appliances and vocational training - under one roof and virtually free of cost to the children.
The Medical Programme here includes:
-
Surgery: Orthopaedic surgeons on DCCW’s panel assess the children in camps and weekly OPDs and conduct surgeries, in their fully equipped theatres. The surgeries performed include Minor, Routine, Major and Specialized surgery, in single or multiple stages.
-
Pre- and post-operative care: There are separate wards for boys and girls at the Centre. Children requiring surgery are admitted into the wards for pre-surgery tests and for post-operative recovery and follow-up treatment. Surgeons conduct regular rounds of the wards to monitor patients’ recuperation.
-
In-house Workshop to manufacture Aids and Appliances: The in-house Orthotics Workshop, under the supervision of the Chief Orthotist, manufactures aids and appliances, which are supplied to the children at the Centre and to children from the camps.
-
Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy: The Physiotherapy Department attends to patients from the wards, the crèche, the vocational training unit at the Centre and the patients’ attending the OPD. Yoga is also taught to the physically challenged children in the wards and those attending the Vocational Training Programme.
In addition, the following services are provided to the children here:
-
Counselling for Children: Assessment by a clinical psychologist and guidance and counselling for children at the Orthopaedic Centre waiting to be operated, are part of the preparatory procedures prior to surgery. Sex education and career counselling is also provided to older children in the wards and in Vocational Training.
-
Vocational Training: The final stage of the rehabilitation process at the Orthopaedic Centre is vocational training where physically challenged children are encouraged to get back onto their feet in every possible way.
OUTREACH PROGRAMME
In 1993, when it was observed that a large number of polio-affected children
reporting at the OPD in the Orthopaedic Centre, were from neighbouring
states, DCCW started the Outreach Programme to extend its orthopaedic
services further into the rural hinterland in the states of Haryana,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh where polio continues to be widespread, even
today. As the incidence of polio in Delhi declined due to the initial
success of the National Pulse Polio programme, the Outreach Programme was
given a new impetus.
This program
me plays a significant role in delivering a package of medical
and rehabilitation services to children from the most economically deprived
families living in areas that have no access to the necessary health
facilities.
The Outreach Programme is a two-pronged programme of Camps and Centres.
Camps are conducted in collaboration with local authorities and NGOs to
assess patients and organize their treatment and follow-up. Patients
requiring surgery are referred to the Orthopaedic Centre. Children are
measured for aids and appliances at the camps, which are then supplied to
the child through the local NGO.
In
select areas, a centre is set up to provide continued physiotherapy and
to monitor the rehabilitation requirements of old patients. At present, the
Outreach Programme caters to areas within a 200-mile radius of Delhi. There
are altogether three physiotherapy centres in operation, one each in Kurukshetra (Haryana), Bulandshahar (Uttar Pradesh) and Bharatpur
(Rajasthan).
The co-operation of the local NGOs is crucial to the success of these camps and centres as they are responsible for mobilizing parents and children, creating awareness among the community on issues concerning childhood disability and its treatment, educating parents on their role in the care of their child and ensuring that the appropriate medical services reach the children.