The Lagos State Government says 213 children have been listed to benefit from its Free Limb Deformity Corrective Surgery and Rehabilitation Programme, an intervention targeted at the treatment and rehabilitation of children with lower limb deformities.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye said 60 out of that number had already been operated upon.
He disclosed this during a visit to the latest beneficiaries of the surgical intervention exercise at the Gbagada General Hospital on Wednesday “The limb deformity corrective surgery programme started in 2007 as a medical assistance programme for children with lower limb deformities that affect normal growth and function in children.
“It has since evolved into a multidisciplinary surgical outreach programme that has reached more than 6,000 beneficiaries since its inception”, Ogboye said.
He added that the intervention programme was “to alleviate the suffering of children with limb deformities, improve their self-esteem and offer them a chance to compete and function normally in society.”
Ogboye explained further that the latest phase of the programme commenced with a screening exercise of potential beneficiaries at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, adding that the result of the screening, which was reviewed by a team of specialists, resulted in the latest set of 60 beneficiaries who qualified and were subsequently booked for the surgical procedure.