A concrete support to the rehabilitation system in Uganda

According to Uganda’s national statistics, 12.4% of the population is affected by some form of disability; which means that more than 6 million people require physical rehabilitation or other types of assistance. However, there are only ten rehabilitation centers available throughout the country, which often do not provide adequate services, involve too long and too expensive distances to cover to access the facilities, or are economically inaccessible for amputees requiring assistance. The main reasons for the inadequacy of Ugandan orthopedic and rehabilitation centres are common to many countries on the continent:

• Lack of qualified personnel
• Lack of appropriate materials and technologies
• Lack of infrastructure

With this project, SwissABILITY will provide a national-level solution by organizing a training for orthopedic technicians selected from centers across the country and sending a container with orthopedic materials which will then be distributed locally throughout Uganda so that professionals in the rehabilitation sector, once they have received training in innovative low-cost technologies, can apply what they have learned and manufacture prostheses for the most vulnerable amputees in the country.

The training will take place at “The New Hope Bidibidi Rehabilitation Center“, a centre of excellence in the heart of the Bidibidi refugee camp in the northern part of the country.

The materials sent via the container will instead be addressed to the “Nkolo Orthopaedics Rehabilitation Center” in Luweero, which will serve as a distribution point for other orthopedic centres in the country once the container arrives.

SwissABILITY will supply these centres with the necessary materials to manufacture at least 650 prostheses.

PROJECT SHEET