Amputees receive 'free' prosthetics, at a price

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

For the past few weeks, M. Isa, a survivor from Meulaboh, has been trying in vain to help his son get an artificial limb after his leg was badly injured during the tsunami and later amputated.

The father of two said that since arriving in Medan in early January, he had no money because all of his belongings, including his house, were lost in the disaster.

But the money requested by the hospital just to get his son measured up for a prosthetic limb, which have been donated by a Malaysian group, is Rp 7.5 million (approximately US$810), a sum of money that may be out of reach, not to mention illegal.

One local doctor agreed to look at his son, Mukhtar, if Isa could come up with half the amount as a "down payment". Without the money, the doctor will not even measure his son's leg.

"The doctor will only measure my son's leg if I can get the money. I'll try to settle up the rest when my son gets his prosthetic leg," Isa told The Jakarta Post at the Aceh Sepakat camp for displaced persons in Medan.

Isa, however, was upset because donors from the Basmi Kemiskinan Foundation in Selangor, Malaysia, had visited the shelter a few days ago, offering free prosthetics to tsunami victims who had limbs amputated -- with one condition.

In order to get the prosthetics, however, those in need must first get the required measurements done locally and send them to the foundation so they can give the artificial limbs to the amputees.

Isa said that his son had been treated at the Elizabeth Hospital in Medan for nearly a month after undergoing the amputation in Banda Aceh. He was sent to the hospital by a team of volunteer doctors for further treatment.

He said he had never been asked for payment during his son's stay at the hospital because it had been covered by donations. But it is a different case with the prosthetics.

"When I told my son about the news, he was very happy. His desire is to have an artificial leg so he can walk again, but we don't even have the money to have his leg measured," lamented the 61-year-old survivor.

When the tsunami struck on Dec. 26, he was at home with his wife in Meulaboh, while Mukhtar, his wife and children were in Lhok Nga near Banda Aceh.

"Mukhtar's wife and children are still missing, and he had to have his leg amputated," Isa said.

The hope of having prosthetics was also expressed by several other victims who had their limbs amputated as a result of injuries incurred during the massive tidal waves that swept through their villages. Others have been more fortunate than Mukhtar, because some doctors have been willing to measure them for prosthetics at no cost.

However, even for those who have been measured, the promised prosthetics have apparently not arrived.

Zamriansyah, a tsunami victim who had his leg amputated, spoke despondently after being asked when the prosthetics would arrive.

"I don't know. They said it was being sent, but it's not here. Many people measured my leg already for prosthetics," said Zamriansyah, 27, a resident of Pelanggahan, Banda Aceh, who is now staying at a temporary shelter on Jl. Mengkara in Medan.

He and two of his friends, Abdan Djali and Husni, also amputees, had been released from the Pirngadi hospital last week. They were allowed to leave the hospital as their health had improved.

They now hobble around on crutches. They are still holding out hope that they will some day get artificial limbs and walk somewhat normally.

"We want to get the artificial legs as soon as possible so that we will look like normal people," said Zamriansyah.

Head of the North Sumatra Health Office, Fatni Sulani, claimed that due to a lack of funds, there had been no plan yet to provide prosthetics for amputees.

Asked whether hospitals were allowed to ask for fees from patients to get their limbs measured up for prosthetics, Fatni stated that such a practice would not be tolerated.

She said it would be illegal to ask for money from tsunami victims, whether they needed their legs measured or not.

"We never tell the hospitals to collect even one rupiah from tsunami patients who need help. If that's the case, let me know, it's illegal," Fatni said.