Rabia
Three year old Rabia from Lushoto was born with clubfoot – a congenital deformity where the foot is turned on its side pointing inwards. Without treatment, Rabia would have never walked properly and may have faced exclusion from school and work opportunities later on. It is a debilitating condition which can have a devastating impact on a child’s life.
Abandoned by the child’s father in the early stages of the pregnancy, Rabia’s mother, 27 year old Upendo says bringing her daughter up has been extremely hard especially when Rabia was unable to walk and run like other children. “I was not ready to receive the problem when Rabia was born, and I had no support from anyone. I could never save enough money from growing my maize to pay for transport and medical costs for my daughter.”
When Upendo heard from someone in her village that CCBRT could cure children with disabilities like Rabia’s for little or no money she began saving up for the seven hour bus journey to Dar es Salaam. CCBRT treats all children under the age of five for free so Upendo did not have to pay for the medical treatment.
The earlier a child with clubfoot receives medical care; the less invasive the treatment has to be and the more successful the outcome tends to be. So, early intervention is crucial. Clubfoot can be treated through gentle manipulation and plaster casts in very young children, before the bones become too rigid. Avoiding surgery is less traumatic for the child and more cost effective for medical centres in developing countries.
If Rabia had been referred to CCBRT earlier, it may have been possible to treat the clubfoot without surgery. Partly due to the time delay, CCBRT doctors needed to attach a device called an external fixator to Rabia’s clubfoot in a surgical procedure. This device is used to slowly manoeuvre the bone into the correct position.
For the next few years, Rabia will wear a splint to encourage the correct growth enabling her to walk properly and lead an independent life when she is older. Her mother says, “I am happy now knowing that my daughter will be able to play and walk just like other children and she will be able to get a job to support herself when she is older.”
Baobab Maternity Hospital will provide a safe place for mothers to deliver and where babies are born with impairments they will be referred immediately to CCBRT Disability Hospital (on the same site) for treatment. Baobab Maternity Hospital will also be raising awareness amongst health workers about the importance of early intervention and improving the referral procedures so that infants and children in need of medical attention are treated more quickly.