Damascus-SANA
The Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Step Association for Prosthetic Limbs, is seeking to develop basic building blocks to start manufacturing prosthetic limbs or part of them locally by setting an action plan to test and develop the product and develop investment projects to secure these limbs by vocational schools that have experience in the manufacture of metals and flexible plastics.
And “Step” is a civil society that obtained its license in 2014 and started its actual work in Damascus in 2016. It is concerned with installing prosthetic limbs for amputees and includes its own laboratory for the manufacture of limbs, a walking training center, another for physical therapy, and a psychological support department, according to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Step Association for Prosthetic Limbs Dr. Raymond Helal.
Dr. Hilal Bayn told SANA that the association began installing prosthetic limbs for the needy and people who were unable to install them from its own funds, pointing to the development of expertise until the association had three branches in “Damascus, Daraa and Tartous,” all with modern technical equipment, pointing out that there are nearly 1,000 limbs. It is manufactured annually and the main objective is to give the amputees a new chance of life to be active and productive people in their society, which prompted the association to search for the best and latest in order to serve them.
Hilal explained that the high cost of prosthetic limbs is one of the most important problems facing the association's work, due to the lack of a local industry for the prosthetics and foreign companies that supply prosthetic limbs to Syria and control prices.
Hilal stressed that Syria is able, through the expertise it has, to manufacture locally, indicating that networking with the Ministry of Education is a real step for making a Syrian national product with expertise, minerals and a purely Syrian style. knee” and the possibility of starting to manufacture the sections that can be manufactured.
Hilal indicated that there will be networking between the technical team of the association, which includes engineers, some of whom are specialized in metals, others are specialized in the design of the “CNC” machine, energy science, technical experts, and the team of the Ministry of Education consisting of directors and teachers in institutes and technical schools who have experience in minerals, by combining practical experience from the association. And the scientific experience of vocational education and that this will therefore be the first in the Arab region and provides foreign exchange.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Darem Tabaa, pointed out, during a meeting held today in the Ministry’s building with the association, the need to develop a comprehensive plan to start manufacturing prosthetic limbs or part of them locally in cooperation with the association because it has experience in the services provided to groups affected by the war, indicating the importance of participatory thinking in investment projects to secure prosthetic limbs. In the hands of local competencies that enter the labor market and secure the requirements for manufacturing prosthetics, thus allowing for the employment of labor.
Minister Tabbaa indicated that the ministry is studying the possibility of manufacturing artificial limbs by supporting graduates of vocational schools in opening workshops to enter the labor market.
Rehab Ali and Bushra Barhoum
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