4 amputees get artificial limbs under govt. insurance scheme

First time prostheses were provided by Stanley Medical College under CMCHIS

March 11, 2019 01:24 am | Updated 01:24 am IST - CHENNAI

A milestone:  Doctors of the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital with the four patients who received artificial limbs recently.

A milestone: Doctors of the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital with the four patients who received artificial limbs recently.

An all-women team at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Government Stanley Medical College Hospital, presented four patients, who received artificial limbs through the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).

This was the first time that the department was providing prosthesis to amputees under the CMCHIS. So far, patients were referred to the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, K.K. Nagar, according to S. Ponnambala Namasivayam, dean of the hospital.

One of the patients, Jothi, 45, lost her right hand in an industrial accident.

She was working in a stone crushing unit when her hand suffered damage. A diabetic, Munusamy, 54, lost his left hand due to vascular problem. Twenty-eight-year-old Elangovan was another patient. He lost his right leg in a road accident. Panchavarnam, 45, had to undergo amputation after her leg was affected by diabetic ulcer, doctors said.

All four patients received custom-made prosthesis through the CMCHIS, he said, adding: “We will from now on provide prosthesis to amputees through the scheme.”

Cost of prosthesis

“The government has authorised two companies for supplying prosthesis made of carbon fibre. The cost of the prosthesis ranges from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh depending on the level of amputation. Patients are benefited as this is done free for them,” said J. Geetha Kalpana, head, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

The department was rendering services mainly to hand injury patients after surgical treatment to regain hand function for over 40 years.

Of late, this specialty has extended its services to patients with other disabilities such as stroke, amputation, orthopaedic and neurological problems. Rehabilitating amputees with artificial limbs under the CMCHIS was a new step for the department.

The prosthesis are light weight, resilient and cosmetically acceptable and enabled patients to be independent in their daily activities, a press release said.

“Now, we are maintaining a record of persons, who have undergone amputation at the hospital. We are entering their names and date of surgery and will get back to them for artificial limbs,” she added.

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