(ANS – Soyapango) – The Don Bosco University (UDB) in El Salvador is continuing its efforts on behalf of those who were injured in the earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010. Last April a new training course began for technicians in various forms of prosthetics  and orthotics - artificial limbs and other medical supports, which will last until December 2014.

The course is intended to train 32 professionals who will be responsible for the various rehabilitation centres set up by international organisations after the 2010 earthquake. The training will be provided off-site in Haiti, but– unlike the training programme run by UDB for ten years now  – on this occasion in Haiti there will also be present someone qualified in these areas, who will monitor and tutor the students.

The programme has five modules, covering all the various areas of prosthetics and orthotics; at the end of the modules the students will be able to obtain certification in the Standard Category II (orthopaedic technologists) of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO).

The training course is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in view of the work undertaken by UDB in Haiti since February 2010, when it collaborated with “Handicap International” and “Healing Hands for Haiti” providing emergency care and rehabilitation services for those injured in the earthquake.

Since then 13 people including teachers and qualified students from the Faculty of Re-habilitation Studies at UDB have been part of the international aid mission. The professionals from UDB, in the three stages  from the initial first aid to the present time have manufactured the following prosthetics and orthotics:

• From February/March  to October 2010, respectively 408 and 442 examples
• From November 2010 to October 2011, respectively 383 and 1071 examples
• From October 2011 to the present, respectively 65 and 324 examples

UDB has been providing courses in technical training  in prosthetics  and orthotics since 1996, courses which since 1998 have been recognised by ISPO in Category II. In addition, since 2008, training at university level in the area has been accredited by ISPO in Category I. ISPO International accreditation covers technical training centres and university teaching in this field, and at present UDB is the only accredited centre in Latin America.

By means of the off-site training centres UDB has already trained  specialists in prosthetics  and orthotics in many countries, such as Angola, Eastern Europe, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Perù, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Published 06/07/2012