Families of babies with clubfoot sound alarm over gap in medical care in B.C.'s Fraser Health

Ashley Fuchs’ son Layton was born with clubfoot, which causes both of his feet to be turned inward. It’s a surprisingly common condition, but parents say getting medical care for it continues to be a challenge. 

“It’s a lot of unknown. A lot of sleepless nights and a lot of worry,” says Fuchs, who lives in South Delta. “Is my son going to be able to run around with other kids? Is he going to walk at a normal age? Is he going to crawl at a normal age?”

 

One in every 1,000 babies can be affected by clubfoot, but it is correctable if treated early. According to the Langley Foot Clinic, babies are fitted with a series of casts for up to four months. Following that, they are put into special braces to help keep their feet straight, which is what seven-month-old Layton wears now. In some cases, surgery is required. However, in the Fraser Health Region, that’s not possible right now.

“Families have not had surgical options available to them as there’s no surgeon available to do that,” explained Andrea Engelland, a parent of a child with clubfoot and director of the Canadian Clubfoot Support Society.

B.C. health authorities each have one pediatric orthopedic surgeon. In Fraser Health, the province’s largest health authority with roughly 300,000 children, the surgeon is about to retire. Parents say Fraser Health assured them last fall a replacement specialist would be hired, but months later, they haven’t received an update.

“Fraser Health has completely stopped communicating with parents and the Clubfoot Support Society the last two months, not answering a single email in response to our questions,” said Engelland.

“We’re coming up on a year of being told there’s going to be doctors, and there’s no doctors,” added Fuchs.

CTV News contacted Fraser Health for an update, and was told the recruiting process for a new pediatric orthopedic surgeon is underway. In a written statement, the health authority added it’s “building additional capacity through increased clinic time and expanding services from Royal Columbian Hospital to also include Surrey Memorial Hospital.”

As for when a new surgeon would be hired, Fraser Health would only say it expects to have an update in “the near future.”

“Every month they delay this process is a delay of surgery for kids who need it,” said Engelland.

The Canadian Clubfoot Support Society is calling on Fraser Health to speed up the process and keep families informed along the way.

Fuchs says the glaring gap in medical care makes her feel as though her son has been left behind. Without a doctor to provide guidance or surgery, she fears Layton’s condition will not be fully corrected, causing lifelong impacts on his ability to walk.

“As a mom, you worry in general, but this just is extra worry,” she said.