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PESHAWAR, Jun 03 (APP): Paraplegic Center Peshawar (PCP) marked World Clubfoot Day with a simple and emotionally moving ceremony that was attended by children undergoing treatment, their parents, medical experts and support staff.
On this occasion Dr. Syed Muhammad Ilyas, CEO PCP, distributed gifts and sweets among the children as chief guest and cut a special cake with a young girl who had recently completed treatment. The cake symbolized the recovery of 5,071 children who have been successfully treated for congenital clubfoot deformity.
Dr Ilyas Syed paid glowing tributes to the dedication, professionalism and compassionate spirit of the medical and technical teams working in the Clubfoot Clinics. He emphasized that PCP is not merely a medical institution but a great mission of humanitarian service, an embodiment of hope. “Nations that understand their problems and seek lasting solutions progress,” he remarked, “and PCP is a living example of this very philosophy.”
He said that the Clubfoot Program was initiated in 2018 with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and later expanded in 2022 through a partnership with the global organization Miracle Feet. This collaboration not only enhanced the standard of care to international levels but also paved the way for establishing multiple new centers across the country. He explained that PCP has developed a comprehensive system, aligned with global standards, for the treatment of children born with clubfoot. The treatment is provided completely free of cost, including travel expenses for families coming from remote areas.
The highly successful Ponseti Method is employed, which in most cases avoid surgical intervention. Each child is individually assessed by a team of pediatricians, physiotherapists, orthopedic surgeons and trained staff, while parents receive continuous guidance and education throughout the treatment process.
Dr Ilyas also announced the expansion of services, stating that two new Clubfoot Clinics are being established in Gilgit and Bannu with the support of Miracle Feet. These new centers will enable local children to receive timely and quality care without burdening families with the cost and difficulty of long-distance travel. He further noted that Clubfoot Clinics under PCP’s supervision are operating successfully in multiple cities including Peshawar, Abbottabad, Haripur, Swat, Swabi, Islamabad and Azad Kashmir.
These centers have become a beacon of hope for children suffering from this deformity, offering not just medical treatment but psychological support to families as well. Dr Ilyas Syed shared his vision to replicate this model in more districts of KP and in major cities across Pakistan, ensuring that every child, regardless of region, has the opportunity to live a dignified, disability-free life.
Dr Aamir Zaib, Director Rehabilitation and Program Coordinator, highlighted that PCP gives equal importance to physical rehabilitation and the emotional and psychological strengthening of both children and their families. Parental training, counseling, and consistent follow-up are distinguishing features of PCP’s Clubfoot Clinics.
Parents attending the event expressed heartfelt gratitude to PCP and Miracle Feet, stating that the gift of saving their children from lifelong disability is beyond words. They prayed for the continued success, growth and well-being of the institution and its staff, and said they consider the center an extension of their own family.
In this spirit, the World Clubfoot Day celebration at Paraplegic Center Peshawar was more than just an annual event, it was a reaffirmation of the center’s unwavering resolve to set children’s feet straight and lead them toward lives of dignity, building a Pakistan free from disability.