Zambia – Katete

500 miles has funded a low-level prosthetics and orthotics service at St Francis Hospital (SFH) in Katete in Eastern Province since January 2017.

During 2021, with funding from St Francis Hospital Medical Support Group and Wild Geese, both of The Netherlands, SFH completed a new building to house the pharmacy and the physiotherapy department. When it opened in May 2022, our small prosthetics and orthotics service moved there with, and to work alongside, the hospital’s physiotherapy service.

The service was set up by Timothy Miti who received some training from the professionals at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka (UTH).  In June 2019, Timothy left to study for a diploma in prosthetics and orthotics at Mobility India and was replaced by Agness Manda, herself an amputee. She too received some training at UTH, and from Timothy, before taking over from him.

SFH does not have the machinery and equipment required to manufacture prostheses and complex orthoses at SFH, just basic tools – but Agness is able to carry out repairs to most prostheses and orthoses and to make and fit small and simple orthoses. If MoH supplies UTH with stock, Agness can occasionally refer people who need prostheses and complex orthoses to UTH for treatment.