Dr. Sanjeev Maddila describes how poverty and stigma delay treatment for children with severe birth defects in Kerala. A six-year-old girl named Gayathri had fibular hemimelia, multiple digit defects, and lobster-hand deformity. Mission Hospital performed coordinated surgeries on her leg, ankle, and hand in one session to prevent lifelong disability.
Dr. Kattunil Kugiyana.
See a lot of poor children with congenital defects within and around the district of Trichur, from Malappuram and Palakkad, who the parents cannot afford to have an expensive treatment, as these are the deformities which disable the child all throughout their life. These deformities can be corrected, but because of ignorance, poverty, and lot of other social stigma, these parents don't come out for a treatment portion. There, there is a definitive treatment which can correct the deformities like clubfoot. If not done at a proper time, that deformities are disabling all throughout the life. This is in regards to Gayathri, who is a poor girl from Trichur district of Kerala state. Who was brought to me with multiple deformities of fibula hemimelia right limb, multiple digit defects on the left foot with lobster hand on the right hand. Sanjeev Maddila, doctor. As around 6-year-old, they have tried to seek treatment. As this treatment was not only a staged process, but it needed lot of time to be done and the parents were trying had to go from one surgeon to another. Because of certain financial reasons and lot of other disabling factors within the family, the child was brought to me at Mission Hospital, Pechumal. The child has undergone first stage procedure for the knee. At the same time, we tried to do second stage procedure for the ankle, and in the same sitting, we— for the right hand also.
