The Cameroon Clubfoot Care Program (CCCP) continues to take measures to ensure quality treatment of the clubfoot deformity in Cameroon. The Program coordination team undertook a visit to seven of its treatment clinics in the Littoral, South West and West Regions of Cameroon from January 27 to February 1, 2025.
The objective of the visit led by the CCCP National Coordinator, Mr. Tamon James was to officially put in place new clubfoot clinics, donate clubfoot treatment materials to new and old clinics and train staff of new clinics on reporting and documentation of human-interest stories.
During the visit, three new treatment clinics were officially set up in St. John of God Hospital, Yassa Douala, Centre D’Accueil et d’Observation de Bepanda, Douala and ARCH, Mile 14, Dibanda, Buea. Each of the clinics received donations of treatment materials including significant quantities of plaster of Paris, soft roll, awareness raising and visibility materials among others.
The donations were preceded by meetings with the leaders of the Health facilities. During the meetings, the CCCP National Coordinator provided orientation on working modalities and the facilities’ engagement with the CCCP in ensuring the effective functioning of the clinics.
All leaders of the 3 facilities, in response to the official clinic set ups and reception of the treatment materials, expressed profound gratitude to the CBC Health Services and Hope and Healing International who through the CCCP have chosen and capacitated their facilities to provide clubfoot treatment. They promised to do all within their capacities to ensure that the clinics function without any hitches.
A kick off treatment session took place in each of the 3 new clinics during which the skills of the staff who had undergone a 3-day training some weeks ago were sharpened on the Ponseti treatment which is a nonsurgical but most effective method of treating the clubfoot deformity. They were provided hands off demonstration and guidance on the correction of the feet of children who turned up for treatment. The onsite support was provided by the Regional Clubfoot Focal Persons, Nfor Wilfred for the Littoral and Fanfon Timothy for the South West regions respectively. This onsite support will continue for a few more weeks for the staff to have total mastery of the ponseti technique.
The Coordination team also visited, supported and provided treatment materials to four old clinics being Baptist Hospital Mutengene, Foumban Regional Hospital Annex, Baptist Hospital Bafoussam and Ngounso Baptist Hospital clubfoot treatment clinics.
The Cameroon Clubfoot Care Program greatly upholds the wellbeing and safety of children during treatment. Reason why the CCCP Safeguarding Officer, Maureen Mbongeh after assessing child safeguarding in the clinics, provided the staff with orientation on child safeguarding. She also put in place a child safeguarding policy for signing by all treatment staff.
At each clinic, the CCCP Communications Officer, Tina Ashiyo provided guidance on documenting and reporting human interest stories. She highlighted the importance of success stories in resource mobilization by the funding partner and in awareness creation and encouraging uptake of services by other parents of children with clubfoot. On his part, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Yingoh Haris guided the clinic staff on documenting data on reporting tools and inputting in the CCCP electronic data base.
The CCCP team also discussed the putting in place of strategies for the broadcast of the doodle animated documentary on the different stages of clubfoot treatment for the education of parents for adherence.
The Cameroon Clubfoot Care Program with the establishment of the 3 new clinics now provides treatment in 29 clinics in 6 Regions of Cameroon. The program implements its activities, thanks to funding from Hope and International.
