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20 patients to receive free ankle and foot surgical treatment under outreach programme

20 patients to receive free ankle and foot surgical treatment under outreach programme

Namibia is currently hosting the annual global ‘Step2Walk’ Foot and Ankle Outreach Conference’, where local and international surgeons receive academic and practical training.

The event which kicked off on 9 December will conclude 13 December. The conference will help at least 20 Namibians receive surgical treatment, free of charge at the Lady Pohamba Private Hospital.

Dr. Jacques Heinrich Jonck, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Program Host said this year he has identified 40 state patients with complex foot and ankle problems that need surgical treatment, but they only have the capacity to treat 20 patients surgically during the year’s programme.

“The rest of the patients will have to wait for next year and with the help of local implant companies and the generous support of the Lady Pohamba Private Hospital, I will attempt to treat at least one patient per month for the remaining 20 patients, next year,” he explained.

He further said that he personally followed up on last year’s patients post operatively until complete recovery and testified for the positive change it made in their lives.

“Surgeons are hand picked to attend the conference and all of them have special skills that they are willing to offer free of charge to local patient community and at the same time teach the Southern African Orthopaedic foot and ankle community,” said Jonck.

Patricai Hoeksema, Group Manager: Corporate Relations at Ohlthaver & List (O&L) said through their vision of being a catalyst for positive change, the O&L Group, together with all the other sponsors for this conference proudly support this noble cause. “We celebrate the success of last year’s events and look forward to see even more live changed through this life changing program, going forward,” she added.

Dr. Mark Myerson, Executive Director and Founder of ‘Steps2Walk’ said during last year’s outreach program, 18 Namibian state patients with crippling deformation received surgical treatment fro the international faculty, together with local medical officers in Orthopaedic surgery at the Lady Pohamba Private Hospital. “All of these patients had complex problems and are part of the state health care system and under normal circumstances would not have had access to this type of treatment,” he emphasised.

Step2Walk is a non-profit organisation that reaches out to patients with foot and ankle pathology in under privileged communities around the globe.


 

About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.