Disabled ex-combatants get artificial limbs

Seventeen ex-combatants living with disability were, last Friday, fixed with prosthetic artificial limbs at Gatagara Hospital in Nyanza District.Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (RDRP) Coordinator, Francis Musoni, hailed Gatagara Hospital for offering quality services to disabled ex-combatants.“As a Commission, we appreciate what you have done for the ex-combatants and we shall continue working together to overcome the problems facing disabled ex-combatants”, he pointed out.He advised the beneficiaries to take care of the offered items, adding that this would enable the Commission to support others with similar problems.Dr Evans Arumba, the director of Gatagara Hospital, also paid tribute to the Commission, describing it as “a blessing to the nation.” He said the day was a turning point to the disabled ex-combatants since their limbs are able to function well.“I can now stand up and walk without any problem,” said Mariko Nshimiye, one of the beneficiaries.The Commission is set to provide artificial limbs to 591 disabled ex-combatants to perk up their health standards.Gatagara Hospital is the only centre in the Great Lakes Region that assembles artificial limbs.Neighbouring countries such as Uganda, DR Congo, and Burundi have sought for artificial limbs from the health facility. Apart from limbs, the Commission has also built houses for former combatants living with disabilities, countrywide, and offered many of them vocational skills to facilitate their reintegration process.

National

Disabled ex-combatants get artificial limbs