It is a wait of more than a year for the patients to get a prosthetic limb at the Limb-fitting Centre at Ernakulam General Hospital. The centre, which is one of the three limb-fitting centres in the state under the government, has been facing severe staff crunch over the last few months which in turn is hindering its functioning.
The centre has state-of-the-art facilities to manufacture prosthetic limbs along with facilities to supply them.
According to hospital sources, one has to pay just `1,500 to `2,000 per prosthesis while the market rate at various hospitals is anywhere between `75,000 and `1 lakh.
Moreover, patients from lower-income group are given priority at the centre. “We have two posts of technicians to prepare the prosthesis. The technicians have obtained a court order to ensure that they are made to work only for a stipulated time. This means that only two prosthesis can be manufactured in a month. Owing to the delay, patients have to wait anywhere between 6 months and a year to get the facility,” said a doctor with the centre.
The other limb-fitting centres are at Kollam and Kannur district hospitals. As such, the centres see patients not only from Ernakulam but also from neighbouring districts. As per sources with the Health Department, the hospital is considering appointing more technicians on a contract basis to tide over the crisis.