Military will receive prostheses faster: explanation of the Ministry of Social Policy
13 May 2024 13:39
Starting today, military personnel will be able to receive state-funded highly functional prostheses and orthoses, including upper limb prostheses with an external energy source and upper limb prostheses with increased functionality, more quickly. This decision was made by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citing the Ministry of Social Policy.
Previously, combatants could receive such prostheses only after the primary prosthesis expired, which is usually three years.
The new amendments allow the Social Protection Fund for Persons with Disabilities to pay for a new, more technologically sophisticated and more expensive prosthesis as early as one year after the primary prosthesis, if such a prosthesis has different functional characteristics.
For example, at the stage of primary prosthetics, a defender with an amputated leg at the hip level received a high-quality prosthesis with a hydraulic knee unit. The doctor may recommend a more innovative prosthesis with a microprocessor (electric) knee unit, which works on a different principle and can contribute to a more natural gait and easier stair climbing.
Olena Kulchytska, Advisor to the Minister of Social Policy, explained why defenders cannot receive such prostheses immediately:
“At the first stage, it is important for a person to adapt to the prosthesis and learn how to use it. This task is solved by primary prosthetics. And only when the stump is already formed and the person has mastered the skills of using the prosthesis, it makes sense to install a more highly functional prosthesis. Now our defenders will be able to receive prostheses with additional features much faster, without waiting for the first prosthesis to expire.”
To solve the problem that prevented defenders from receiving more functional prostheses, the Cabinet of Ministers amended Procedure No. 518, adopted in 2020, so that people who lost their limbs as a result of injuries could benefit from modern technology and return to active life as soon as possible.
