SURGEONS from Oxford have been awarded a £246,000 grant to help them treat children suffering from clubfoot in Africa.

Staff at the city’s Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre are setting up a training course to improve treatment of the condition across sub-Saharan Africa.

The team received the grant from the Department for International Development to train 80 clubfoot treatment providers and 60 key trainers who will go on to deliver further local training.

The scheme will be piloted in Ethiopia next year and Prof Chris Lavy, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at NOC and Oxford University professor, said: “I’m delighted with heading the programme up.

“It shows that Oxford hospitals are involved with the NHS but we have got our eyes open to needs globally.

“We have found that staff really get a sense of perspective and I firmly believe that this has improved the NHS because of the links to the international projects we have got. I’m fortunate to be heading this up with some brilliant colleagues – we have a really great team.”

About one baby in 800 worldwide is born with clubfoot, a deformity where the feet point down and inwards with the soles of the feet facing backwards.

The Ponseti method, the usual treatment for the condition, involves manipulating the foot into a better position and putting it in a cast for five to eight weeks.

Some children undergo minor procedures where the Achilles tendon is cut to allow the foot to rest in a more natural position. Special boots are attached to each other with a bar.

But sub-Saharan Africa faces challenges in the treatment of clubfoot as the number of healthcare professionals trained to treat the condition in east, central and southern Africa is less than five per cent of those in the UK.

Prof Lavy added: “Clubfoot is not uncommon in England and can be treated straightforwardly and successfully by using the Ponseti method.

“The problem occurs if nothing is done. The foot gets stuck in a twisted-out position and children cannot wear shoes.

“In a poor country it’s catastrophic as it means children can’t go to school, will miss out on an education, and won’t be able to get a job. It’s needn’t be that way. It's pretty simple to sort out and it changes people’s lives.”

It is estimated 10,000 children will benefit from the work of the project over the next three years.

The new trainers will include health workers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ghana, Togo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe.