There is a tremendous outreach program in effect at the Selian Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania to treat disabled children in the surrounding area. The selianhospitalselianlh@habari.co.tz website is informative of the area served and the mission involved.
The Selian Hospital was built in 1954 and primarily treats the Maasai people in the Arusha and Manyora region. The surgical rehabilitation program established is to treat the disabled children in this area. The goal is to treat 200 children annually. Club foot, cerebral palsy, burn contractures, and skeletal fluorosis is commonly seen. For the treatment, operations, and rehabilitation the parents only pay a token fee. The operation and rehabilitation costs are not charged to the family. Due to the home conditions not being conducive to postoperative care the children stay at the Plaster House for there extensive therapy required.
Burn contractures are frequently seen due to the open cooking fires used. The skeletal fluorosis is due to the high fluoride in the drinking water. The children will have brown stained teeth from all the fluoride intake and the long skeletal bones such as the legs become very hard and bowed. This leg deformity will cause the child to not be able to ambulate.
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