The DCCF team at the workshop of the orthopedic centre
The Diplomatic Call Care Foundation (DCCF), a subsidiary of Diplomatic Call Ghana Limited on Friday March 28th, 2014 visited and made a donation to the Orthopedic Training Center (OTC) in Nsawam as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility which it champions through the foundation.
According to Nana Adwoa Owusu Achaw, General Manager of DCCF, the purpose for the visit was also to identify the needs and challenges of the center and to see how best they could be addressed in order to ensure the provision of better orthopedic services to patients.
She said the foundation chose the Nsawam OTC as its maiden project because of the little attention the center was receiving even though it was the only one of its kind in the country and West Africa dedicated to treating the physically challenged in society.
“Another reason why we selected the OTC was because it was set up by a foreigner, so in essence it was established through diplomacy, and highlighting on the activities of foreign missions and organizations in Ghana is what the Diplomatic Call brand is all about” she added.
The orthopedic workshop was set up in 1965 to manufacture appliances suited for the physically challenged in Ghana. The workshop manufactures orthopedic shoes, shoe prostheses, leg braces, artificial legs and arms, splints etc. for the over 6000 patients treated yearly at the center.
The center also has a home for children who are in need of extensive physiotherapy and training to enable them to develop physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Sister Elizabeth Newman, the Director of Centre said “we realized that when we put the braces or artificial limbs on the children, parents didn’t know how to cope with them or teach their wards how to use them, so we decided to allow them to stay for a short period of time to learn how to use their artificial legs or braces before they leave.”
She also disclosed that more people are becoming physically challenged due to the increase in vehicular and industrial accidents.
“There are more of industrial accidents in the country as compared to before because of the increase in industries, so both employers and employees should therefore ensure that safety protocols are adhered to in order to reduce some of these avoidable injuries” she added.
Sister Newman said this high demand for orthopedic services called for a need of a mobile orthopedic unit to enable the center to extend its services throughout the country.
“The mobile unit is an important feature of our operations because through it we are able to reach patients who have difficulty travelling or have financial difficulties” she explained.
Sister Newman however noted that most of the equipment at the center have become obsolete and therefore needed replacement or upgrading in order to ensure the long term future of the orthopedic center.
She also made mention of the urgent need of a workshop for practical work for the Prosthetics and Orthotics Training Centre (POTC), a training school at the center which trains people to manufacture and produce the artificial limbs and braces.
She therefore commended existing partners of the center for their continuous support to its operations and also appealed to other benevolent institutions and individuals for more assistance in addressing the challenges facing the center.
Mr. Richard Larbi, the Principal of POTC reiterated the Directors appeal by adding that “one of the main challenges in the area orthopedic treatment is the lack of human resources. Ironically disability rate is very much on the rise. So I’m appealing to government to expand orthopedic training facilities in the country.”
As part of the visit, the Diplomatic Call team was given a tour around the various sections of the Centre including the workshop, the children’s block, the classrooms, and the training school, among others.
The climax of the visit was when Diplomatic Call Care Foundation (DCCF) donated some groceries, food and clothing items to the children at the center.
Diplomatic Call Ghana Limited through its philanthropic wing, the DCCF, would further create awareness and raise funds to support the Nsawam Orthopedic Training Centre on April 11, 2014, at the official launch of the Diplomatic Call Media Brand.
The Orthopedic Training Centre was founded by the late Brother Tarcisius de Ruyter from Netherlands, who passed away on the 15th of January this year.
By Prince Asare, Diplomatic Call
