The Livingstone Central Hospital is in the process of starting the first ever Prosthetics and Orthotics training school in the country to help improve the number of trained personnel in the field.
Prosthetics and orthotics are clinical disciplines that deal with artificial limbs for people with amputations and supportive devices for people with musculoskeletal weakness or neurological disorders.
Livingstone Central Hospital Senior Medical Superintend John Kachimba revealed this when the parliamentary committee on Health led by Lukulu East Member of Parliament Christopher Kalila toured the hospital’s Prosthetics and Orthotics Department where artificial limbs are manufactured.
Dr. Kachimba says the country currently has no school offering the specialised field of study, resulting in people interested in the field seeking the training abroad.
He says the hospital has already come up with a training curriculum and that support staff from outside the country have already been sourced adding that they are now waiting for approval from the Ministry of Health.