Support to the rehabilitation system in Northern Ghana

Duration:

January 2023 – December 2025

Location:

Walewale, Ghana

Beneficiaries:

1,500 people with disabilities and 6,000 indirect beneficiaries

Area of intervention:

Ability in physical rehabilitation

Partner:

OTC – Orthopedic Training Center

Ghana has over 34 million inhabitants, and it is estimated that at least 340,000 people (1% of the population) are in need of rehabilitation services or walking devices each year.

There are only 4 rehabilitation centres in the country, including the OTC (Orthopedic Training Center) of Nsawam, which for decades has become the reference point for rehabilitation in Ghana. Most prosthetic services in the country depend on it, and the centre cares for more patients than all other centres combined.

Despite the efforts, more than 80% of the population cannot take advantage of rehabilitation services close to home, especially in the north of the country. For this reason, the OTC decided to build a new rehabilitation centre in Walewale, in the northern region of Ghana, a 13-hour drive from the nearest existing rehabilitation center.

SwissABILITY will provide a prosthetic and orthotic workshop complete with machines and manufacturing materials. It will also train local orthopedic technicians in innovative but low-cost technologies for the manufacturing of prostheses and orthoses.