Thursday 13 November 2014 - 8:18pm
KwaZulu-Natals first medical orthotics and prosthetics department has been launched, with the aim of pumping more skills into an embattled sector.
DURBAN - The prosthetics sector has received a boost with the launch of a specialised training facility in Durban as a result of a partnership between Durban University of Technology and the provincial health department.
This is owed, in part, to the severe skills shortage in the sector – there are only 420 registered orthotists and prosthetists in the country.
The Medical Orthotics and Prosthetics Department will ultimately deploy graduates across the province, allowing patients to be assessed and fitted with prostheses in their respective areas, rather than travelling to Durban.