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Gaza: Therapist Makes Prosthetics From Sewer Pipes
Gaza: Therapist Makes Prosthetics From Sewer Pipes
(Franceinfo)
In Deir el-Balah camp (Gaza), Salah began making prosthetics using sewer pipes. A task that became increasingly difficult due to the lack of materials.
A plastic sewer pipe that must first be burned to give it a shape. Wood, cotton and glue are the materials Salah needs to make a makeshift prosthesis. Since the start of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, medical equipment has been in short supply, while the number of amputations has multiplied. “With very little, we managed to create a tibial prosthesis. Then I made a femoral prosthesis. The hardest part was finding the material on the markets.”he explains.
Before the war, Salah was a therapist in Deir el-Balah (Gaza). He was arrested by the Israeli army and the prison helped him rebuild his life. “I was detained for 47 days. I was tied up. It was difficult to eat and drink, so I thought about the amputees and felt their suffering through what I experienced”he emphasizes.
Mohamed lost a leg in an Israeli bombing. Since then, he has been living in a refugee camp, where he met Salah. At the appointment scheduled to try on his prosthesis, the adaptation is difficult. But after a few trips, the first words are rather reassuring: “This prosthesis will reduce my daily suffering, it reassures me”.
