JEDDAH, 4 October 2003 — Sakher Khalef was 18 when an Israeli missile struck his legs in the Gaza Strip. He was so badly injured that his legs had to be amputated. Since then the young Palestinian, at the time a construction worker, wondered if he would ever be able to walk again.
He happened to hear about an amputee rehabilitation program newly launched at the Sultan ibn Abdul Aziz Humanitarian City in Riyadh. Three months ago he was given a pair of artificial legs and he has since been able to walk and even work.
Since his return to Gaza, Sakher has been independently moving about. After being fitted with two prosthetic legs after completing a comprehensive amputee rehabilitation program, he can now drive and bend down for prayers, and says he enjoys an almost normal life. What is more, on his return home he got married.
He no longer works on construction sites but is now an adviser to amputees needing help and assistance.
A Jordanian student called Rami, who had lost an arm, has received an artificial limb at the city and has now returned home to pursue his studies.
A number of amputees like Sakher and Rami now lead a normal life after undergoing the city’s amputee rehabilitation program, Jeffrey S. Garber, chief executive officer at the city, told Arab News.
“More than 80 percent of those requiring artificial limbs are diabetics who, depending on the severity of their condition, may undergo an amputation procedure. Our effort is to restore the amputees to their normal selves through user-friendly artificial limbs,” he added.
“The city implements a standardized multidisciplinary amputee rehabilitation and training program,” Bandar Sami Arab, its PR director, said, adding that with the use of a breakthrough “Smart” technique in artificial limb technology, the amputee can start walking within 30 days after the initial preparations are made. Three weeks after the amputation, the first socket is fitted and the patient can immediately begin to walk.
“The success of any prosthetics program is not just about fitting an artificial limb, it is the amputee rehabilitation package of support services and programs that ensure the smooth transition,” said Johan Snyders, prosthetist-orthotist at the city.
“The technology registers an 80 to 95 percent success rate, which makes it an extremely reliable program because the other five to 15 percent represents people who die immediately after an accident,” he added.
The city, described as the largest rehabilitation center in the Middle East, has publicized its comprehensive amputee program at the Saudi Health care and Saudi Hospital exhibition in Jeddah.
