Programa "Sonrisas Paraguay" & "Pie Boot"

Club Foot Surgeries

History
The service of club foot surgery is part of the Smiles Program. The idea of offering this type of surgery began in the year 1999 in a health care center for children with physical disabilities in Coronel Oviedo (Centro Ovetense de Atención al Niño Impedido Físico). In that year, 75% of the patients could not be operated because they lacked the economic resources to pay for the surgery.

The club foot surgery was first offered free of charge in the year 2005 in the Campo 9 hospital, and this made a significant difference. The number of surgeries has been increasing since then. In the year 2006, this initiative of offering surgeries for club foot became part of Fundación Visión through the Smiles Program, with a special emphasis on surgeries for newborns using the Ponseti technique.

Dr. Penny Norgrove (Baptist Medical Center coordinator for Club Foot) came from Canada in February, 2008 to help the program get off the ground more quickly. The doctors who treated the Club Foot patients in Paraguay are:
• Dr. Anibal de los Ríos – Social Security Institute
• Dr. Alberto Navarro – Acosta Hospital Acosta and also at Fundación Visión
• Dra. Vigilia Ayala – Emergency Medical Center
• Dra. María Eugenia Bolelli – the National University hospital
• Dra. Liza Mantenía – the National University hospital
• Dr. Jorge Tarabal – Hospital “Light and Life” Hospital Campo 9 and also at Fundación Visión

Care Centers
We see an average of 80 patients a week and we do between 10 and 15 surgeries per month. Our headquarters operates in the Campo 9 Care Center (Campo 9) for patients from Pedro Juan Caballero (500 km to the north), San José and San Lorenzo (200 Km. to the west), Caazapa (150 km. to the south) and Ciudad del Este (120 Km. to the east). We currently see patients in this location once a month. We also see patients in the following cities: Coronel Oviedo, Curuguaty, Capiibary y J.E. Estigarribia.

Goals
The main goals for the year 2008 are to find and treat 180 children less than 1 year of age with club foot problems. Another goal for 2008 is to open two rehabilitation hospitals in Capiibary and Curuguaty.

Challenges
Up until now, we have resolved many problems, but we still have needs that we can fill with the much appreciated help of donors. Our needs are:

1. Documentation Devices – portable cameras, In Focus (for the instruction of health care workers, doctors, etc.)
2. Access to hospitals in a larger number of areas in order to be able to assist a greater number of needy communities.
3. Equipment for rehabilitation and physical therapy.
4. A plan to train health care workers on club foot.