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Surgery Restores Mobility, Education for Vidarbha Kids
19 Apr
Summary
- Charitable collaboration began in 2003 to aid children with correctable deformities.
- Over 4,000 children in Vidarbha benefited from free corrective surgeries.
- Partnership ensures mobility issues do not hinder education access for children.
In 2003, a significant gap in educational accessibility was identified in Nagpur: children were leaving school due to correctable physical deformities that impacted their mobility. This led to a unique charitable collaboration between the education department and orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Sushrut Babhulkar.
Dr. Babhulkar and education officials began screening students, identifying issues like post-polio deformities and cerebral palsy contractures. The initiative, which offered free surgeries, aimed to ensure these treatable conditions did not impede education, benefiting over 4,000 Vidarbha children.
Initially supported by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan for post-surgery care, the program expanded in 2010 when Matru Sewa Sangh's Snehangan initiative joined. This ensured comprehensive post-operative care and continued learning for children during their recovery.
Despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and funding shifts, the surgeries continue, preventing Vidarbha students from missing out on education due to correctable physical limitations.
