The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Vijayawada News : 200 beneficiaries to get prosthetic limbs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

200 beneficiaries to get prosthetic limbs

By Our Staff Reporter

Mobility India technicians measuring the limb of a physically challenged person for preparing an artificial limb in Vijayawada on Wednesday.

VIJAYAWADA, JULY 14. The District Rehabilitation Centre (DRC), in association with `Mobility India', is going to provide over 200 beneficiaries prosthetic limbs developed using latest technology.

A team of technicians and social workers from Bangalore are camping in the city to train the DRC staff and provide `trans-tibial polypropylene modular components' to amputees selected by the rehabilitation centre.

Mobility India spokesperson, Soikat Ghosh, said here on Wednesday that the objective of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) was to take the latest in prosthetic limb technology to those who were living in rural areas. "While 80 per cent of the physically challenged were in rural areas 80 per cent of the facilities for rehabilitating them were available only in urban areas,'' Mr. Ghosh said.

Mobility India, which operated with bases at Bangalore and Kolkota, was working with grass-roots level NGOs in all the southern States and at a few places in Eastern and North Eastern parts of the country.

The modular components were less expensive and lighter than the prosthetic limbs being provided by the rehabilitation centre, said manager, Satya Kishore. The technicians of Mobility India were teaching the DRC staff how to take the measurements for preparing the modular parts. The components being provided by Mobility India could be called revolutionary. At present, the entire prosthetic limb was being replaced even if a small part of it was damaged. But, with the modular components supplied by Mobility India just the parts that were subject to wear and tear could be replaced, he said.

The prosthetic limbs called `Saathi' were lighter in weight and cheaper. The trans-tibial foot piece was for those with their legs amputated below the knee, Mr. Ghosh said.

Mr. Kishore said DRC invited Mobility India after some DRC staff attended a workshop on the improvements being made in prosthetic limbs. The DRC was sponsoring the kits needed for preparing the polypropylene modular components. The Mobility India technicians were providing the technical support.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh

News Update

Stories in this Section

Obscene posters under fire

200 beneficiaries to get prosthetic limbs

Varsity firm on shifting Sarada College senior students

City to host coop bank staff meet

Medical employees to organise `chalo Hyderabad'

ABVP opposes reservation for Muslims

Around the City