COIMBATORE: The lightweight limb artificial production centre, run by the Institute of Orthopaedic and Traumatology at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, received the Chief Minister's Best Practices Award for its impact on the production of lightweight artificial limbs without any government funding allocation, and for recycling funds allocated to the department from the TN CMCHIS scheme.
The Chief Minister's Best Practices Award is a prestigious honour given annually by the Government of Tamil Nadu on Independence Day. It recognises government departments, public servants, and district collectors who implement innovative, scalable and effective practices to improve public service delivery and administrative efficiency. The government also gives Rs 2 lakh for each of the three selected persons for this award. For 2026, three initiatives were selected for this award, and CMCH's Institute of Orthopaedic and Traumatology was among these, selected under the category of a government body.
CMCH Dean Dr M Geethanjali received the award from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in Chennai during the Independence Day celebrations on Saturday.
The lightweight artificial limb production centre at CMCH was established on August 14, 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the brainchild of the former director of the institute, Dr S Vetrivel Chezian, who retired from service on July 31, 2026.
"The centre was opened to help beneficiaries at the district level and eliminate the need to travel to Chennai to get artificial limbs. The entire funding for the infrastructure and accessories, nearly Rs 20 lakh, is taken care of by the department by recycling the TN-CMHIS orthopaedic fund. No extra expenditure was sought from the government for lightweight artificial limb production, which ensures the availability of artificial limbs at CMCH."
As per protocol, persons who have lost their limbs are admitted to the orthopaedic ward under the orthopaedic team. About 10 beds are exclusively utilised for the persons who have lost their limbs. The fabrication of artificial limbs is to be done by the prosthetists; gait training (walking training) by the physiotherapist, and occupational counselling is also given by the occupational therapist, while mental wellbeing is supported by the psychiatrist. As per the data available at the hospital, more than 300 people have benefited from artificial limbs at this centre from 22 districts in Tamil Nadu so far. Apart from the expenditure and claim, the centre has shown a profit of Rs 82.20 lakhs, which is used for recurring expenditure and infrastructure development.
