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Ghana Limb Centre
in danger of a shut down
Accra, Aug. 22, Ghanadot/GNA -
Lack of specialists at the National Prosthetics and
Orthotics Centre of the Ghana Health Service is forcing the
authorities to curtail services at the medical facility
where artificial limbs are provided for patients.
The Centre currently has only one prosthetic, who is being
supported by 13 orthotics technicians, who assist in
designing callipers, braces, collars orthopaedic corsets and
other artificial limbs for below the knee and above.
Mr Daniel Kodi, the Prosthetic and Head of the Centre, made
the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in
Accra on Friday.
He noted that the Centre had less than 25 orthotics serving
the whole country and described the number as woefully
inadequate.
Mr Kodi said there were no prosthetics in any of the regions
and only skeleton staff of Orthotics were managing cases in
the regions.
“Unfortunately, Volta Region does not have a single Orthotic
to handle their cases. People in need of services have to
travel from the North and other regions to Accra for such
services.”
The centre is also serving other neighbouring countries like
Burkina Faso Cote d’Ivoire and Togo.
The prosthetic explained that students of the School of
Allied Health Science do not express interest in the
programme, adding that despite a curriculum developed with
the School in 1999 “there are no lecturers to teach the
programme”.
Mr Kodi, who is due to retire in March next year, explained
that the World Health Organisation would be supporting four
people for a certificate programme in prosthetics and
orthotics in September this year to assist in the work.
He appealed for funding to train more prosthetics lecturers
for even distribution in all the regions.
Orthotics and prosthetics are the evaluation, fabrication
and custom fitting of artificial limbs and orthopaedic
braces. It is an allied health profession.
Prosthetics is also an artificial extension that replaces a
missing body part lost by injury or missing from birth or to
supplement defective body parts. It is part of the field of
biomechatronics, the science of fusing mechanical devices
with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist
or enhance motor control lost by trauma, disease, or defect.
In addition to the standard artificial limb for everyday
use, many amputees have special limbs and devices to aid in
the participation of sports and recreational activities.
GNA
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