Severe hand injury affects life
MOST people do not realise the “incredibly disabling” effect of a severe hand injury on the life of the individual.
Speaking at the launch of the Caribbean Hand Centre at 16 Alcazar Street, St Clair last Thursday, Chief Surgeon at the Baptist Memorial Hospital Dr Alejandro Badia said the injury could be personally, spiritually and economically disabling.
It has “a huge social and economic impact. People who before we would write them off and they would have to go on social benefits can now get back to the productive workforce with therapy.”
Badia said it took a multi-disciplinary team (for surgery, diagnostics and rehabilitation) to get the patient back from injury.
The Caribbean Hand Centre is a collaborative effort involving Lisa Niles of Sports Therapy and Rehab; and Kristi Maingot and Stephen Frankland of Serpentine Road Physiotherapy.
Their aim is to provide a more holistic approach to managing healing of limbs with special emphasis on hand therapy.
Certified hand and occupational therapist Dr David Cummins, who is based in Barbados, will be flown to TT to conduct clinics and the cost of his visit is borne by the Centre.
“The cost of a hand therapist in the States is much more than what we would pay for it here so we are offering a subsidised service but the cost still has to be met in terms of the overall costing,” said orthopaedic surgeon Dr Godfrey Araujo a member of the hand clinic.
