Al Amin :
No proper care is being taken to ensure treatment of Prosthetics and Orthotics (P & O) patients in the country, victims alleged.
Thousands of Prosthetic and Orthotic patients are compelled to go abroad as there is lack of skilled technicians in Bangladesh to install supportive device to human bodies.
Some 53 technicians are working in Bangladesh to provide this service. Of them, 4 graduated from abroad, 30 diploma degree holders and 19 completed one and a half years course in this regard.
Even, there is no government approved institution to provide this kind of training, whereas many universities in the World are teaching the subject, experts said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 11,00,000 persons in Bangladesh need such devices and the number is increasing day by day. In the meantime, the rate of road accidents is being increased every day, including the number of disabilities.
There are very few centres in the country that are providing prosthetic and orthotic devices to cater the existing needs. Moreover, there is no provision of educational opportunity in prosthetics and orthotics fields in Bangladesh.
Prof Dr Abdus Salam, Professor of the National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation, told The New Nation, “If any one initiates to set up such institution, government will approve it easily.”
SM Imran Shoaib, Head of P&O Department of CRP of Savar, told The New Nation, “A total of 53 technicians are working in this field. Of them, only four graduated from abroad, 30 diploma holders and 19 completed one and a half years course in this field.”
“The government will have to create posts and service-related courses in medical colleges. The government will have to recognize this service as well as create awareness programme,” he suggested.
Imran further said that the three years long diploma in Prosthetics and Orthotics Programme has been started at BHPI (Bangladesh Health Professions Institute), an academic institute of CRP from February 2014.
In prostheses discipline, the technicians manufacture partial feet (below knee artificial limb to the complex above knee amputation replacement prosthesis). They also manufacture spinal orthoses and upper limb prostheses. The department has extended its services in CRP-Chattogram, CRP-Rajshahi and CRP-Mirpur.
Prosthetics and orthotics are clinical disciplines that deal with artificial limbs (prostheses) for people with amputations and supportive devices (orthoses) for people with musculoskeletal weakness or neurological disorders.
An orthotist is a healthcare professional who makes and fits braces and splints (orthoses) for people who need added support for body parts that have been weakened by injury, disease, or disorders of the nerves, muscles, or bones. They work under a doctor’s orders to adapt purchased braces or create custom-designed braces. Braces are often named for the body part they support.
The priority of P&O department is its clients’ care and wellbeing throughout the process of delivering world class prosthetic devices, rehabilitation programs and orthotic solutions. The P&O team renowned for outstanding customer service, providing personalised care that best suits each client’s needs and lifestyle goals.
