PAHO/WHO-El Salvador and the Universidad Don Bosco’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences are collaborating on a proposal that would create a laboratory to attend to the rehabilitation needs of Haitian children and adults.

PAHO/WHO-El Salvador is working on a proposal with the Universidad Don Bosco, a PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center in Orthotics and Prosthetics, that would open an orthotic and prosthetic laboratory based in either Haiti or the Dominican Republic. The project calls for the development of 2,000 prosthetic or orthotic devices to reach approximately 800 children and 1,200 adults affected by the earthquake. The project’s first phase would last eight months, and the overall objective is to leave in place local capacity in both infrastructure and trained personnel.

The work will be undertaken by technicians from Latin America, led by the university’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences. The project’s estimated cost is US$ 2.4 million.

(Photo PAHO/WHO Victor Ariscain)