BHUBANESWAR: People, who have lost their limbs in a mishap or disease, will be able to regain mobility with advanced robotic therapy.
Odisha government has started providing the therapy at two state-of-the-art rehabilitation centres at Bhubaneswar and Sundargarh. While the advanced treatment is available free of cost for the people below poverty line (BPL), the therapy and artificial limbs will be provided to others at reasonable prices.
Stroke patients, spinal cord injury, brain injury, neurological disorder, cerebral palsy, limb amputations and joint replacements can be treated at the advanced rehabilitation centres (ARCs). Patients can directly approach the rehabilitation centres for the advanced therapy. However, the patients referred by collectors, district disability rehabilitation centres, State Institute for Disability Rehabilitation and other establishments and hospitals will be given preference.
As decided, 350 patients will be attended by each centre every month. The monthly capacity of computer-aided design and manufacturing of artificial limbs has been fixed at 100. Secretary of SSEPD department Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma said, “Though the therapy is costly, patients can avail free fabrication and fitment of prosthesis/orthosis if they belong to the BPL category or have annual income of less than Rs 2.4 lakh.”