Prosthetic relief in Morocco
Randy McFarland
Description
Collection
Title:
Prosthetic relief in Morocco
Creator:
Randy McFarland
Date:
7/1/2006
Text:
Original Post:
A fellow staff member has been asked to go to Morocco, Africa to
help with prosthetic needs of the area.
Do you know of anyone with experience in that area? It's unclear
as to how rural the area is.
What components/systems have been successful for providing
acceptable prosthetic care to such areas? It would be nice to not
reinvent the wheel!
Thanks, Randy McFarland, Fullerton, CA
Responses:
I know the area fairly well as ISPO is involved in continual
collaboration with the P&O school in Marrakech. Actually we are involved
there starting this week and into next week with a re-accreditation
process at the Category II level and the ISPO Examination process. I
have Claude Tardif (head/coordinator of the International Red Cross P&O
services/centers
worldwide) going there on our behalf.
The school of Health Sciences (or similar) in Marrakech has the P&O
program within it's scope of programs and has been running in this
format since around 1998ish.
The program was supported and initiated with a partnership between
the Moroccan side and the German government. Most of the German support
has now been phased out.
The have quite a number of professionals in the country that
practise overall, at a decent level. From the standpoint of scope of
components this is quite wide. For those in the country who can afford
it - they can get pretty much whatever they want and Otto Bock has a
presence there. On the other hand, the International Red Cross'
polypropylene modular system has been introduced in the country to try
to address those in need who are not well off financially/economically.
Outside the main urben areas such as Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier,
Marrakech - there may be issues for service in the rural areas but I
cannot speak intelligently on this.
I could put you in contact with some colleagues in Morocco if you
would like to make further contact.
I would be very interested who initiated this activity from your
side (or their side) and what is the scope and goal of the mission. I
would suggest ensuring a clear understanding of what the situation is
there before the person goes.
Sincerely,
--
Dan Blocka, C.O.(c), B.Sc., F.C.B.C
President-Elect & Education Chair
ISPO
Borgervænget 5-7
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Denmark
Email - <Email Address Redacted>
Coordinator, Prosthetic & Orthotic Programs,
George Brown College,
c/o SCIL, The Sunnybrook & Women's College H.S.C.
2075 Bayview Ave.,
Toronto, ON., M4N 3M5
416 480-5783 (tel) 416 480-5975 (fax)
Website - home.ica.net/~cocinc
Great question! I have been to Turkey, Guatemala and Iraq on medical
missions and it has always been different that what I have envisioned.
Since we have so much access to so many things here in the america it's
hard
to imagine what it will be like where, how behind or ahead of the times
they
are. One office that I visited had it's own machine shop manufacturing
all
there own products with great results, others where flooded with
different
aide organizations and yet other places there was no way to ship
anything in
or out.
It's surprising how different places have come up with materials
that work
really quite well for there area. If there is any other organization in
the
area already doing the work that you can lend aide to makes things so
much
easier, it seems like they are always happy to have visitors and have
found
ways to send support in and out to be able to provide support when you
leave. for what it's worth... Wil Sundberg CPO C.Ped Anchorage AK
Check the OandP.com site, humanitarian resources, it lists dozens of
organizations going to different countries around the world.
You may be able to find some info there....... Tony Korjagin, CP,LP,
Houston, TX
Randy, I think your best source for info will be Otto Bock. They
probably
have a distributor that they can put you in touch with that know the
area.
Jonathan Shochat L.P.O.
Here is a website where you can find some information about ICRC
prosthesis.
<URL Redacted>
If your reply to me comes back undeliverable, please forward that
error message to our IT guy, Bruce.
His E mail is: <mailto:<Email Address Redacted>> <Email Address Redacted>
A fellow staff member has been asked to go to Morocco, Africa to
help with prosthetic needs of the area.
Do you know of anyone with experience in that area? It's unclear
as to how rural the area is.
What components/systems have been successful for providing
acceptable prosthetic care to such areas? It would be nice to not
reinvent the wheel!
Thanks, Randy McFarland, Fullerton, CA
Responses:
I know the area fairly well as ISPO is involved in continual
collaboration with the P&O school in Marrakech. Actually we are involved
there starting this week and into next week with a re-accreditation
process at the Category II level and the ISPO Examination process. I
have Claude Tardif (head/coordinator of the International Red Cross P&O
services/centers
worldwide) going there on our behalf.
The school of Health Sciences (or similar) in Marrakech has the P&O
program within it's scope of programs and has been running in this
format since around 1998ish.
The program was supported and initiated with a partnership between
the Moroccan side and the German government. Most of the German support
has now been phased out.
The have quite a number of professionals in the country that
practise overall, at a decent level. From the standpoint of scope of
components this is quite wide. For those in the country who can afford
it - they can get pretty much whatever they want and Otto Bock has a
presence there. On the other hand, the International Red Cross'
polypropylene modular system has been introduced in the country to try
to address those in need who are not well off financially/economically.
Outside the main urben areas such as Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier,
Marrakech - there may be issues for service in the rural areas but I
cannot speak intelligently on this.
I could put you in contact with some colleagues in Morocco if you
would like to make further contact.
I would be very interested who initiated this activity from your
side (or their side) and what is the scope and goal of the mission. I
would suggest ensuring a clear understanding of what the situation is
there before the person goes.
Sincerely,
--
Dan Blocka, C.O.(c), B.Sc., F.C.B.C
President-Elect & Education Chair
ISPO
Borgervænget 5-7
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Denmark
Email - <Email Address Redacted>
Coordinator, Prosthetic & Orthotic Programs,
George Brown College,
c/o SCIL, The Sunnybrook & Women's College H.S.C.
2075 Bayview Ave.,
Toronto, ON., M4N 3M5
416 480-5783 (tel) 416 480-5975 (fax)
Website - home.ica.net/~cocinc
Great question! I have been to Turkey, Guatemala and Iraq on medical
missions and it has always been different that what I have envisioned.
Since we have so much access to so many things here in the america it's
hard
to imagine what it will be like where, how behind or ahead of the times
they
are. One office that I visited had it's own machine shop manufacturing
all
there own products with great results, others where flooded with
different
aide organizations and yet other places there was no way to ship
anything in
or out.
It's surprising how different places have come up with materials
that work
really quite well for there area. If there is any other organization in
the
area already doing the work that you can lend aide to makes things so
much
easier, it seems like they are always happy to have visitors and have
found
ways to send support in and out to be able to provide support when you
leave. for what it's worth... Wil Sundberg CPO C.Ped Anchorage AK
Check the OandP.com site, humanitarian resources, it lists dozens of
organizations going to different countries around the world.
You may be able to find some info there....... Tony Korjagin, CP,LP,
Houston, TX
Randy, I think your best source for info will be Otto Bock. They
probably
have a distributor that they can put you in touch with that know the
area.
Jonathan Shochat L.P.O.
Here is a website where you can find some information about ICRC
prosthesis.
<URL Redacted>
If your reply to me comes back undeliverable, please forward that
error message to our IT guy, Bruce.
His E mail is: <mailto:<Email Address Redacted>> <Email Address Redacted>
Citation
Randy McFarland, “Prosthetic relief in Morocco,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 2, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/226954.
