The Ministry of Health open new Prosthetics and Orthotics Centre in Trincomalee General Hospital
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, 9th May 2011 – Today marks the opening ceremony of a new prosthetics and orthotics centre in Trincomalee General Hospital, to provide services for people with disabilities who need artificial limbs (prostheses) and orthopaedic braces (orthoses).
Dr. Anil Dissanayake, Director of the Department for Youth, Elderly, Disabled and Displaced (YEDD) was present at the ceremony. “As a Representative of the Ministry of Health, Colombo, I am pleased to have been involved in the planning of this project. The first step for many people with disabilities to become contributing members of society is access to professional prosthetics and orthotics services. This centre will improve the lives of hundreds of persons with disabilities in Trincomalee. A similar centre which opened in Vavuniya in November 2010, has already provided more than 100 prostheses and orthoses to persons with disabilities.”
Technical support, staff training and mentoring will be provided by the Cambodia Trust, through the Sri Lanka School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (SLSPO) which was established in Ragama in 2004.
“SLSPO is training Prosthetist/Orthotists to international standards, to meet the needs of mobility-impaired people in Sri Lanka,” explains Dr Mary Scott, Project Director SLSPO. “We are proud to assist professional capacity building in Sri Lanka, so these services can be delivered by SriLankan graduates.”
Dr. Gnanakunalan, Medical Superintendent of the Trincomalee General Hospital, added: “These are much needed services for Trincomalee. We are hoping to have 2 professional Prosthetist/Orthotists employed at this new centre, who are expected to graduate from SLSPO in June 2011 following 3years of training.”
The Trincomalee prosthetics and orthotics centre is planned to begin providing services in July 2011 and aims to provide 400-500 prostheses / orthoses per year.
