First prosthesis center in Qamishli
Qamishli – North-Press Agency – Ibrahim Ibrahimi
The center of fitting prosthesis in Qamishli has been working for five years in for those who lost their limbs, as the center has fit 4.500 artificial limbs so far.
The center provides all its services for free, depending on local cadres who received training at the center and learned the profession.
“At first we take the measurements via wet plaster, and then comes the process of packing and manufacturing with hand, after that we clean the limb and beautify it.” said Nesreen Ibrahim, an artificial limb designer at the center, to North- Press”.
4.500 artificial limbs.
During long years of fight and struggle, thousands of civilians in north and eastern Syria missed their limbs as a result of war, explosions, mines and accidents. So, the center of artificial limbs-fitting in Qamishli city, was their destination, so that they compensate their missing limbs with others artificial, as war conditions stood against some of them and prevented them to go to Damascus and other Syrian governorates.
Rebaz Ibrahim, the designer of artificial limbs in the center, spoke to North-Press about the idea of establishing the center, saying “The center was established by a person whose leg was amputated, and felt those who were suffering from losing a piece of their body, so he wanted to help them.”
Thousands of people who have lost one of their limbs, as a result of war and accidents, visit the center and were responded to, where Ibrahim pointed out that since the opening till now, the center has “fitted 4.500 artificial limbs.”
According to Ibrahim, the center documents the registration of the name, place, the reason for the loss and a photo of the person, and the first steps with the artificial limb.
Children’s hope
The last one to get an artificial foot, was the 6-year-old- girl Maryam Muhammad Ibrahim, from the town of Ma’bada/GirKe lage, who lost her foot during a traffic accident months ago.
At the center of the artificial limbs in Qamishli, Maryam is training on her artificial foot, which she fitted after losing her right foot, as was swaying in her walk, hoping to return to her normal life and play with her friends.
After fitting her artificial foot, feelings of joy were clear on her face, where she said to North-Press with a hopeful tone: “I hope that next year I can go to school and play with my friends.”
Muhammad Ibrahim, Maryam’s father, is a taxi driver in the town of Ma’bada/GirKe lage in northern Syria. Following the accident of his daughter, he went to the center of the artificial limbs in Qamishli.
“They took the measurement of her foot eight days ago and they told me to come to the center today to fit the artificial foot, they did it, and now she can walk. Thanks God.” said Muhammad Ibrahim.
The center of the artificial limbs in Qamishli is the only center in Al-Jazira area. The center belongs to the Kurdish Red Crescent, which provides the center with raw materials for the limb-fitting. According to those in charge, the center has not received any assistance from any humanitarian organizations or international organizations yet.