We had a very vibrant orthopaedic programme running out of our Janakpuri centre from 1987 to 2020. In fact the centre was set up with the main objective of providing a complete range of rehabilitation services to physically disabled children, especially those affected by polio and cerebral palsy, and was known as DCCW’s orthopaedic centre. It was one of our biggest programmes in terms of costs and resources required to run it, and we had to shut it down in 2020 as we could not absorb the impact of the Covid pandemic on this programme.
DCCW had started a mobile orthopaedic programme in 1987 to carry orthopaedic services to the doorsteps of children inflicted by polio or other disabilities in their limbs. Our well-equipped Orthopaedic Centre grew from there, and started functioning in 1991 in Janakpuri in west Delhi.
Since many of the children reporting at the OPD at the Orthopaedic Centre were from neighbouring states, we started the Outreach Programme in 1993 to extend our orthopaedic services deeper into the rural areas in the states bordering Delhi.
Camps conducted in collaboration with local authorities and NGOs assessed patients and organised their treatment and follow-ups.
In the 30+ years that this programme ran:
- More than 9,000 surgeries have been performed
- Over 25,000 children have been fitted with aids
Services available at the Orthopaedic Centre included:
- Surgery: Orthopaedic surgeons on our panel assessed the children in weekly OPDs and conducted corrective surgeries.
- Pre- and post-operative care: Separate wards for boys and girls for pre-surgery tests, post-operative recovery and follow-up treatment.
- In-house Workshop for Aids: Our orthotics workshop which manufactured aids and appliances for the children as recommended by the doctor.
- Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy: Physiotherapy is available both to patients in the wards as well as those attending OPD.
- Counselling for Children: Assessment by a clinical psychologist and guidance and counselling for children waiting to be operated are part of the preparatory procedures prior to surgery.
- Vocational Training: The final stage of the rehabilitation process where the older physically challenged children are encouraged to get trained in an income-generated skill
Case Study : Vinita – from disability to ability
Fourteen year old Vinita who belongs to an underprivileged family in Delhi came to our Orthopaedic Centre for treatment in May 2017. Her father had expired in 2015 and her mother is working as a tailor to support her daughter and son. The family monthly income is about Rs.4000/-. When she came to the centre, Vinita had an awkward and uncoordinated walk. Her speech was also unclear.
As per our surgeon’s assessment, Vinita’s diagnosis was bilateral Genu Varum (bow legs) with deformed lower limbs. After getting all required lab tests, she was admitted at the ward for a series of corrective surgeries as follows:
- Bony correction of right tibia and femur with linear fixator applied on 30/5/17
- Imaging and Fixator readjustment done on 20/7/2017
- Fixator Removal done on 6/9/2017
- Corrective Osteotomy on left femur and tibia with linear fixator applied on 14/12/17
- Fixator Removal done on 25/1/2018
Our doctors and nursing staff took post-operative care of Vinita in the ward which included daily dressing, medication for healing of stitches, pain killers, special diet as advised by the doctors during her stay in our Ward and thereafter Our Physiotherapist gave her extensive therapy, active assistive exercises. As a result, Vinita is able to walk properly with the help of gaiters. Her physiotherapy is continuing to improve her knee flexing. She is also undergoing speech therapy to improve her vocalization.
Vinita also attended our vocational training on beauty culture at the centre and did very well in Mehendi art. She has also developed confidence overall in herself and her abilities. We wish her success in all her future endeavours.