Some of the most heartrending images of the war in
Ukraine
have been that of victims – young and old, civilians and soldiers – needing amputations. An estimated 20,000 Ukrainians have had
amputations
since Russia began its full-scale invasion in Feb 2022. As a result, demand for
prosthetics
has soared with wait times in some Ukrainian areas stretching to six months in 2023.
Lack of adequate technicians due to the war has further added to woes.
Enter Indian angel
Nagender Parashar moved to Ukraine in 1991 and studied at Kyiv’s National Aviation University. He started prosthetics manufacturing in 2010 and today has 10 prosthetics centres all over Ukraine where prosthetists design and fabricate prostheses. In addition, he also runs a prosthetics components factory. “There is so much rush at my prosthetics centres these days that coping with the stream of patients has become difficult,” says Parashar. “Prosthetists are having to work overtime, especially due to increasing numbers of injured soldiers and scarcity of manpower engendered by the war,” he adds.
Time is the enemy. “It takes time to make good prostheses. And given the constraints Ukraine is facing today, things are getting complicated. In amputees the stump size keeps decreasing, so repeat patients at our centres are normal. But with first-time patients also increasing, the whole process is getting jammed,” says Parashar. “Young children are particularly difficult cases because their stump sizes change rapidly.”
Bionic soldiers
“One soldier who had received my prostheses came to thank me after a mission. He was out on reconnaissance and stepped on a booby-trap land mine. But somehow the screws under his prosthetic foot stopped the trap wire from tripping,” Parashar recounts.
Recently, Parashar travelled to Japan with Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal and participated in the signing of a cooperation agreement for the production of lowerlimb prostheses in Ukraine. “I am making high-quality prostheses in Ukraine. But the most manual-intensive part of the process is fabricating the prostheses sockets that fit the patients’ stumps. This takes quite a few days. But with the latest Japanese technology we can scan and make prostheses sockets using 3D printers and use AI to map the pressure points for comfortable prostheses. This will save considerable time and drastically cut down the waitlists of patients.”
Ukrainian experience, India’s benefit
Parashar is also in the process of setting up a prosthetics factory in Faridabad. “The quality of prostheses we are making in Ukraine isn’t available in India. So I have been training people here to fabricate high-quality prostheses for which I am also importing machines from US,” Parashar affirms.
“This will help Indian patients tremendously in terms of affordability of prostheses and servicing. Currently, high-quality imported prostheses have to be sent back to manufacturing countries abroad for adjustments, which can take up to three months. But my Make In India mission is to provide the same high-quality prostheses here and cut down maintenance time to days.”
Life goes on
Talking about life in Ukraine, Parashar says people have got used to falling bombs. “I have had Iranian Shahed drones fly over my house. Air raid sirens last for hours. Russian missile strikes can happen at any time. But Ukrainians have learnt to live with this situation with courage and grace. It’s part of their resistance and an example for the world”.
English (US) ·