Ponseti Technique Workshop, Lima

In Peru, ALTSO conducts trainings to local medical professionals in the Ponseti method of clubfoot correction via lectures and casting practice sessions.

In April ALTSO trained 50 surgeons and nurses in how to detect and correct clubfoot in babies through our Ponseti Technique Workshop in Lima, Peru. Dr. Harold van Bosse, ALTSO's medical director and pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Shriner's Hospital for Children-Philadelphia, led the two-day workshop.

Clubfoot is a congenital foot deformity caused by abnormal development of the muscles, tendons, and bones in the foot while the fetus is forming during pregnancy. Of the estimated 200,000 babies born with clubfoot per year, 80% are in the developing world. Neglected clubfoot is one of the leading causes of physical disability worldwide and can cause a lifetime of limited or painful mobility.

The Ponseti technique is recognized as the most cost-effective, minimally invasive method of clubfoot correction, and is effective in 95% of cases. It involves a simple surgical procedure to release the tendon, followed by a series of gentle manual manipulations of the child's foot, the application of plaster casts, and bracing.

ALTSO's annual Ponseti Technique Workshops around the world promote the importance of early clubfoot detection and give local medical providers the skills they need to become self-sustainable in correcting this prevalent deformity. ALTSO's workshops effectively bridge the gap between the developed and developing worlds, and help eradicate neglected clubfoot in children around the globe.

Kausay Wasi Clinic

Asociacion Civil Promotora de Salud Social Pro Salud Calca is a registered Peruvian non-governmental non-profit organization founded by Guido and Sandy Del Prado to provide basic health and dental care to thousands of Peru's poorest people.

Guido is a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer and former Peace Corps Director. Sandy is a former Peace Corps Volunteer and USAID Health Project Officer.

The Kausay Wasi Clinic hosts around 12 to 15 visiting U.S. Volunteer Medical teams a year. Volunteer doctors have worked with Association Pro Salud Calca since 2003 and have operated on children with hearing difficulties, restored sight to elderly people blinded by cataracts, conducted orthopedic, cleft lip, palate, and reconstructive facial surgeries for burn and accident victims.

Gynecological exams, Dental, Physical therapy Prosthetics General medicine are also available on a daily basis and pharmaceuticals are available at very low cost or provided free of charge to those who cannot afford to purchase them.

The Clinic offers prosthetic services 5 days a week to the areas more than 40,000 registered amputee cases. Our Physical Therapists and Kinesthesiologist also provide physical therapy. The Unit is always in need of used prosthetic parts and visiting Prosthetists are always welcome to work along side and train our staff.

(*Header photograph by Juan Carlos.)