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Contacts
Tajikistan National Mine Action CenterAyni 121
Dushanbe, Tajikistan,
www.mineaction.tj
Tel/Fax: (992 37) 227-0947,
221-66-87
Physical rehabilitation
The MLSPP is responsible for rehabilitation facilities in Tajikistan. Most landmine/UXO survivors have full access to prosthetic, orthotic and post-prosthetic physiotherapy care at the MLSPP National Ortho Center or officially at the State Unitary Enterprise of Prosthetic-Orthopaedic Plants (SUEPOP), located in the capital, Dushanbe. Until 2009 financial and technical assistance was provided to the SUEPOP by the ICRC, in cooperation with the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan (RCST). The National Agency of Social Protection, employment and migration of MLSPP assumed all the responsibility for the running costs of the SUEPOP on January 1st 2009, after the handover from ICRC. The SUEPOP provides transport, meals and accommodation for PWD during the time of their stay in the city for manufacturing the prosthesis and the physical rehabilitation. MLSPP also runs satellite workshops in Khujand (in the north), Kulob (in the center) and Khorog (in the southeast) for repairing and maintaining lower limb prostheses. However, these centers suffer from a lack of capacity, so that a current priority is the empowerment of SUEPOP as well as the regional and district satellite workshops.
The SUEPOP manufactures ICRC standard lower and upper limb prostheses. Since 2005, 213 mine/ERW survivors were provided with physical rehabilitation services (prosthesis). At present, the ICRC Special Fund for PWD is providing capacity building support to the SUEPOP. As an example, in 2011, 3 students were selected by ICRC SFD and MLSP for three years training on P&O in Hanoi (Vietnam).
In addition to prosthetics and orthotics, basic adaptive equipment such as walkers, cane, crutches, glasses are produced in Tajikistan. Hearing aids of a lower quality can be purchased in the market and can be provided without the intervention of a medical professional. Wheelchairs are purchased outside of Tajikistan by SUEPOP /MLSPP.
The National Research Institute for Rehabilitation (NRIR) started its work in 1993, providing both in and outpatient services including medical examination and basic rehabilitation. The NRIR historically provided surgical care, however, at present surgical services are no longer available. There are a total of sixty (60) inpatient beds in 4 specialties: Neurological (10), Pediatrics (10), General Care (20), and Surgical (20). The mine victims as well as other persons with disabilities receive both medical and rehabilitative care. The NRIR has developed a long-term action plan, which was approved by the MLSPP. Government funding, unfortunately, is not sufficient to obtain the goals and objectives of the plan. Retention of staff and skill level of medical/rehabilitation staff are further issues to be addressed in order to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of services provided.
