Cameroon commemorates World Clubfoot Day on heels of Ministerial Decision to introduce Clubfoot Module in training of Health Personnel
Cameroon joined the global world on June 3, 2022 to commemorate World Clubfoot Day under the theme, “Increasing Early Identification and Referrals of all Children born with Clubfoot”. Clubfoot is a foot deformity that a child is born with a foot or feet twisted inwards. Before the commemoration, clubfoot partner clinics across Cameroon have been raising awareness in hospitals, schools, churches, media, and other social gatherings with an emphasis on early identification and treatment.
In a circular by the Director of CBC Health Services, Prof Tih Pius Muffih to all CBC Health Services institutions, the goal of the commemoration is to raise awareness about the clubfoot deformity and treatment using the Ponsite Technique. Emphasizing the theme of the commemoration, Prof. Tih said, early identification can only be achieved if all healthcare workers especially Midwives and Nurses, systematically examine the feet of all newborn babies and refer those with clubfoot to the Ponseti treatment centers. He noted that the Clubfoot service delivery in Cameroon is provided within the framework of the Cameroon Clubfoot Care Project, funded by CBM approved and supervised by the Ministry of Public Health. Prof Tih appreciated CBM for funding the project through the Cameroon Clubfoot Care Project.
Following the fruitful collaboration between the CBC Health Services and the Ministry of Public Health, a module on the management of clubfoot and Ponseti method has been inserted into the curriculum for the training of Nurses, Midwives, Physiotherapists, and Medical Doctors. This move has been applauded by the Management of the Cameroon Clubfoot Care Project and the CBC Health Services Director who noted that it has been thanks to the advocacy by the CBC Health Services and CBM over the previous years of the project. The Project Manager, Mr. Awa Jacques Chirac, while commending the decision, described it as the right step in the right direction
Speaking during the morning devotions at the Baptist Center Nkwen Bamenda, the Coordinator of the Cameroon Clubfoot Care Project, Mr. Tamon James noted that the clubfoot is no longer only the business of the CBC Health Services as it was in the past years but it is now championed by the Ministry of Public Health. He noted that there is still ignorance amongst some health care providers who are supposed to promote early identification. He, thus, calls on everyone to be a clubfoot ambassador by raising awareness at all levels.