JAFFNA, 4. oktober, 2010: Mere end 16 måneder er gået siden den srilankanske regering overvandt De Tamilske Tigre efter 26 års borgerkrig, men tusinder af krigsofre venter stadig på proteser.
Ninety percent of Sri Lanka’s estimated 160,000 amputees, many disabled by landmines and explosions linked to the civil war, lack proper prosthetic limbs, says the Sri Lanka School of Prosthetics and Orthotics, a project of the Cambodia Trust.
“I am handicapped due to a needless war and I am still suffering,” said Jeganathan Sivakumaran, a 25-year-old from Mullaitivu, a town in northeastern Sri Lanka. He lost both his legs in a shell attack in early 2009 and is still without prosthetics. “I live like an animal in the street begging for money.”
Artificial limb services are inaccessible and limited in terms of providers and funds at district level because of a lack of skilled technicians and donor support, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) told IRIN.
“There are not enough service providers in this field to cover the artificial limb needs of the country,” Ivan Rasiah, USAID programme coordinator, said. “The government doesn’t have enough capacity to provide these services due to a lack of facilities and trained people.”
Such issues, particularly prominent in the north, are a primary concern for Sri Lanka, said Ravindra Solomans, a representative for the department of social services.
Læs videre på: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=90665
