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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

01st March 2017 16:05:43 Hours

Army to Produce Own Prosthetics for Disabled War Heroes

Disabled War Heroes of the Army and other sister services who need to change or adjust their prosthetics regularly during respective growth phases would be the main beneficiaries of locally-produced legs and limbs shortly since the Army were to open its state-of-the-art orthopaedic unit and the newest factory for production of own prosthetics in a two-storied building complex, inside the Ragama Ranaviru Sevana Rehabilitation Centre premises.

Lieutenant General Crisanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army who has conceptualized the importance of this exclusive project after lengthy discussions with relevant professionals visited the Ragama Ranaviru Sevana Wednesday (1) morning and laid the foundation stone for construction of the Army’s newest project, manufacture of own prosthetics, amid ‘Seth Pirith’ chanting.

The project, expected to provide benefits to more than 300 differently able personnel every month, costs the Army around Rs 81 million, in addition to the technical equipment and machinery, valued at Rs 126 million. Its construction is to be completed in three months. The production process thereafter is to be manned by more than 50 differently-able soldiers after completion of training in prosthetics with the support of foreign experts.

The new construction is to be completed with the collective technical expertise of 10 (V) Corps of Engineer Services (CES), backed by segments of troops, drawn from all other Regiments in the Army as the project gets underway.

Ragama Ranaviru Sevana houses a total of 125 disabled War Heroes who are recuperating and still under rehabilitation, due to battlefield injuries.

Minutes after the foundation-stone laying ceremony for the new building complex, the Commander of the Army at the invitation of Brigadier Hemantha Kulathunga, Commandant, Ranaviru Sevana, opened the renovated and refurbished Mental Health Unit in the premises where 28 patients could be accommodated at one time for treatment. The Commander after opening the renovated unit sat together with Ranaviru Sevana authorities and discussed ways and means of further raising the standards at the centre and other qualitative services in the best interests of the inmates.

A few minutes later, the Commander of the Army, extending his heartfelt appreciation of the achievements, took time off to talk to all 6 Army cricketers who recently represented Sri Lanka Blind Cricket Team and participated in India’s T20 World Cup – 2017, in which two of them emerged as the ‘Man of the Match’ and the best batsman, scoring a century in the totally blind (BI) category.

At the same occasion, Lieutenant General Crisanthe De Silva freely interacted closely with those blind cricketers who brought fame to the organization and enthusiastically inquired into their needs before each of them was gifted Rs 1 lakh as a recognition of their achievements and also as an incentive for their future endeavours. On the same occasion four of those cricketers, Sergeant J.P.D Ravindra, Corporal I.A.P Saman Kumara, Corporal T.D.K Sahan Kumara and Corporal W.G.C.S Bandara still in service were informed that they would be promoted to their next rank effective from March 02, in appreciation of their achievements. This was intimated to them by the Commander himself during the meet.

Commander of the Army on arrival in the premises was welcomed by a few wheelchair-borne inmates and Major General Sanjeewa Munasinghe, Director General Army Health Services, in the company of Brigadier Hemantha Kulathunga, Commandant, Ranaviru Sevana and Brigadier S. K. Thirunaukarasu, Director Rehabilitation of the Army and a few other officers.

Senior officers, inmates and other rankers attended the day’s ceremony.

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