RAWALPINDI: The first ever artificial limb centre will soon start functioning at Rawalpindi, helping disabled persons to lead a better life with the help of artificial limbs, it was learnt here today [Nov 24].

The centre, which is run by the Fauji Foundation, is equipped with workshop machinery and special tools, together with the services of an expert, Mr Hearn.

These are a gift from Britain under the Colombo Plan. It may be recalled that the modern centre will replace the older one at Lahore.

While Mr Hearn has been at work in Rawalpindi, training of personnel for the new centre has also been going on in Britain. At present the centre has 20 men in the workshop and by the end of this year there will be another eight trained technicians.

Among the equipment provided for the new centre are a copying lathe and a routing machine. These two save much of the laborious carving and hollowing out of wooden blocks. The lathe can produce a perfect shaped block in the image of a boot within a few minutes and then the router, equally quickly, hollows out the correct shaped precision socket into which the leg and ankle are fitted to make a strong and long-lasting joint.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2018