Dr Stanley Jones, consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon, Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK, was recently in the city to participate in ‘Sparsh Vachana’. The project was organised by Sparsh Hospital, where 200 children with complicated musculo-skeletal defects were operated upon for free. Dr Jones, who takes a keen interest in reconstructive surgery for childhood deformities using external fixators, was one of the 26 orthopaedic surgeons from all over the world who took part in the programme. He spoke to Soumita Majumdar about his experience at Sparsh Hospital and about tackling musculo-skeletal defects in India.
How many surgeries have you done at ‘Sparsh Vachana’? Which was the most complicated?
I operated upon 20 children during ‘Sparsh Vachana’ at Sparsh Hospital. It was an incredible experience. The most complicated surgery, perhaps, was to correct a gross deformity of the foot in a six-year-old child. It needed a lot of corrective osteotomies (cutting the bone). We had to do bone-grafting and use fixators with pins and rings.
Do you have such camps in the UK? Have you participated in such programmes elsewhere?
No, we do not have such camps in the UK as quality health care is available for free to all. I haven’t participated in such a project anywhere else.
How did you get to know about ‘Sparsh Vachana’ and why were you interested in it?
I had heard about ‘Sparsh Vachana’ from Dr James Fernandes, a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Sheffield. I instantly agreed to be a part of the event. I have wanted to offer my skills to those who cannot afford it and this was an opportunity to do so. We all used our leave and came at our own expense. This has been an excellent experience for me. All of us are keen to come back for future Sparsh events.
Are most of the cases of deformity you see here congenital?
Yes. However, there were children who had deformities caused by accidents. Many of them are victims of cerebral palsy and unsuccessful surgeries attempted previously.
Are there precautionary measures to prevent such deformities?
It is important that there is regular post-natal screening, and paediatric care in all corners of your country would help pick up such conditions. Regular screening and early appropriate intervention reduce the chance of these gross deformities from developing. And that’s what we follow in the UK.
Where is India lacking intackling cases of disability? Is there a delay in intervention and treatment?
There probably is an inadequate number of health care personnel and lack of awareness among the public. Media can play an important role in educating people about the possibilities in medical care.
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