Ukraine doesn't have enough prosthetics clinicians
STORY: Ukrainian serviceman Dmytro Zilko's prosthetic limb has given him a new lease of life.
His right leg was amputated after a shell landed nearby during fighting in the eastern town of Bakhmut.
“I am very happy. As soon as I stood on my prosthetic leg, I felt alive. I was laying down for four months, my left leg was broken too. One of the muscles is still torn.”
Zilko is just one of many wounded soldiers at this clinic for artificial limbs in Kyiv - so many in fact that there is a shortage of prosthetists.
Demand has skyrocketed. This particular site would need four times the number of specialists to cope comfortably.
Andrii Ovcharenko is the head of the "Without Limits" clinic.
“There really is a shortage of prosthetists, because there are a huge number of people requiring prosthetic treatment coming in every day. If there is a counteroffensive, the frontline battles will be even more severe, the number of patients will increase. I think it would be great to have more prosthetists, even those from abroad. We will provide everyone with prosthetic limbs, but some may have to wait in a line for some time.”
The clinic serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Those who come here have largely been maimed by shrapnel, caused by Russia's unrelenting artillery fire on the frontline and its frequent use of missiles across the country.
"Without Limits," one of around 80 prosthetics centers in Ukraine, made about 7,000 prosthetic components in the second half of last year - equal to the total produced in 2021. But it is still not enough.
The number of patients has also tripled.
Ukraine's health minister says specialists at clinics like this one are simply overloaded.
On a recent morning, the clinic assessed two soldiers for artificial legs and adjusted the new limb of a third.
A handful more came for rehabilitation.
Denys lost his left leg to a Russian missile in Kramatorsk.
“My close ones and my girlfriend don’t let my spirit fade. And my will to live.”
He plans to return to civilian life once he's recuperated.
But, despite the trauma of losing a limb and the possible wait for prosthetics, Ovcharenko says many amputee soldiers still volunteer to return to the war after treatment.
Prosthetics charity Protez Hub says Ukraine has around 300 prosthetists, technicians and apprentices, but only five can fit functional devices like hands and arm.
Artificial limbs like elbows are in particular demand, they say, with some having to wait up to six months to be fitted and at least 100 patients were treated overseas.
Experts say Ukraine will need big investment in infrastructure and staff to deal with amputees needing help for years to come.
