New Delhi: As the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches the ten-month mark, the irrevocable toll of human suffering continues to mount. Data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Social Policy suggested there are 12,000 amputees, who have lost their limbs in the Russia-Ukraine war and are currently awaiting prosthetics.
Amid the stories of forced migration, death, and debilitating physical injury suffered, Protez Foundation, a US-based not-for-profit organisation that specialises in providing prosthetics to those who have lost limbs, is running a special project for Ukrainians.
The Prosthetics for Ukrainians was launched in May 2022 and aims to help Ukrainian children, soldiers, and civilians, who have lost their limbs during the war, get free quality prosthetics in the USA.
“We provide free prosthetics for those who lost their limbs as a result of the war. We cover all financial needs for a person to get prosthetics — visa fees, lodging, and the (cost of) prosthetics. Once in the USA our volunteers host patients and help with basic orientation, logistics and psychological support and emotional recovery of victims,” Dr Yakov Gradinar, chief medical officer of Protez Foundation, told ThePrint in an email.
The foundation has already provided prosthetics to 31 Ukrainians who lost their limbs since the war began, said Dr Gradinar. This includes 28 soldiers, one adult civilian and two children.
According to a statement issued by Protez, it has already received over 600 applications from Ukrainians for prosthetics.
The Prosthetics for Ukrainians programme has been sponsored through fundraising and there is no government involvement.
Also read: How Ukraine is ‘targeting’ airfields deep inside Russia with ‘audacious’ drone attacks
Remote app support for soldiers returning
According to the foundation, it will be able to provide post-surgical care and extended care to soldiers once they go home through an app, One Step — a health tech app that provides remote monitoring for a patient.
Launched in 2019, One Step is US-based Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved app. The app “uses smartphone motion sensors to continuously analyze functional movement in real-life conditions, providing clinically-validated results within seconds and without requiring any wearables or hassle,” explained the company building the app.
Protez and One step started talks between June and July this year and launched the facility to support the Ukraine programme in November.
“The app uses smartphone motion sensors to continuously analyze walking and functional movement in real-life conditions, to give patients and providers alike clinically-validated insights related to health, mobility, fall risk, change of health status and progress all within seconds and without any wearables,” Patrick Tarnowski, chief commercial officer, OneStep explained in an email.
Explaining how the app will help the soldiers, Tarnowski said, “Most people are not aware that a Ukrainian soldier that incurs an amputation typically returns to the front line with their new prosthetic. For the soldiers who return to Ukraine, OneStep’s technology allows the US-based prosthetist to monitor the performance of the Ukrainian soldier’s new prosthetic and provide them with instructions to adjust their prosthetic remotely.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: 65% Americans support arms supply to Ukraine but 47% want peace at the earliest, survey finds