KABUL (Pajhwok): The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has pledged to continue operation in Afghanistan saying 32,000 structures, artificial limbs and wheelchairs would be distributed to disabled persons.
Najmuddin Helal, head of the ICRC Orthopedic Centre in Kabul, said this centre started operation in 1989 and initially it was providing artificial limbs for disabled who lost their own limbs in conflict.
But later it also started making wooden limbs structures for children with congenital deformities, children with Children with cerebral palsy and individuals who lost their limbs in traffic accidents.
He said this centre during the past 35 years the centre annually produced up to 32,000 limbs structures and 32,000 wheelchairs distributed to disabled persons.
He said around 18,000 patients from Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kapesa, Helmand registered annually in different ICRC Orthopedic Centre.
Most of these people are disabled while nearly 2,000 are people who lost their limbs in the conflict.
He said material for the limbs structures were brought from outside and then doctors in the Orthopedic Centres make them.
He added: “ICRC has no plan to stop its operation in Afghanistan, this programme will continue in the future as well and it is one of the largest programme in the world.”
In order to get patients satisfaction, ICRC strived to provide quality served to them.
Dr. Mohammad Dawood, the Physiography Department Supervisor, said: “Our program is not only the provision of limbs or physical rehabilitation but we carry out two parts here, one is physical rehabilitation for those who are ill, and the second is to include disabled persons integration in the community, so they could be able to get jobs and accepted as normal persons.”
Some disabled persons are satisfied with the services provided by the hospital.
Mohammadullah, one of the patients, who three years back lost his leg due to diabetes, said after referring to this hospital he got an artificial leg.
He said: “The services of this hospital are standard and the patients are reached as soon as possible. Making artificial legs in private clinics costs from 60,000 to 150,000 afghanis, but fortunately, it is distributed to patients for free in this hospital.”
Sher Badsha, the resident of Khost province, said 40 years ago to of his legs were blown up in a landmine he said until now he several times got artificial legs from this hospital.
He said: “At first I faced many problems, my wife helped me to sit and stand, when they gave me artificial legs, I can walk easily, I can go anywhere I want.”
He hailed the service and behavior of doctors in the hospital.
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