Prostheses handed to 25 during training for technicians

Seated from left: Ariane Mangar, Director of Rehabilitation Services; Laura Burgess, Physiotherapist – ProsthetiKa; Dr. William Adu-Krow, Country Rep, PAHO/WHO; Volda Lawrence, Minister of Public Health; Cynthia Massay, Rehabilitation Officer, PRRC; Jon Batzdorff, CPO and Founder of ProsthetiKa; Eddy Fuentes, CPO – ProsthetiKa; and Collin Charles, Senior Prosthetic Technician, PRRC. Technical and rehabilitation personnel are standing at the rear after receiving their training certificates.

Prostheses were handed out to 25 amputees during a July 30th to August 11th  training regimen for technicians involved in making the devices.

The Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO), the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre (PRRC), the Disability & Rehabilitation Services programme of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and ProsthetiKa, a US –based non-profit organisation recently held a training programme to expand the capacity to deliver prostheses.

According to the press release from MoPH, the aim of the programme was to build the capacity of the technical staff of the National Orthotic & Prosthetic Appliance Workshop (NOPAW) and over the course of two weeks, 2 orthotic and prosthetic technicians, 3 orthotic and prosthetic trainees, 13 physiotherapists and occupational therapists and 12 rehabilitation assistants were engaged in training designed to enhance the programmes they provide in their respective fields in order to collectively improve he service delivery for persons with disabilities.