Slowly but surely, 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has been revolutionising aspects of medicine since the start of the century, just as it has had an impact on so many other industries, from cars to clothing. However, technology may be hurtling to the rescue – in the shape of 3D printing. The result is that braces and artificial limbs are among the most desperately needed medical devices. There is also the time and financial cost to patients, who may have to travel long distances for treatment that can take five days – to assess their need, produce a prosthesis and fit it to the residual limb. Prosthetics can involve a lot of work and expertise to produce and fit and the WHO says there is currently a shortage of 40,000 trained prosthetists in poorer countries. The World Health Organization estimates there are about 30 million people like Nhial who require prosthetic limbs, braces or other mobility devices, yet less than 20% have them. In Kenya, half the patients on surgical wards have road injuries. Many more are injured on roads, with the casualty toll soaring in poorer nations. Some are victims of conflict, while others may have been born with congenital conditions. Lack of an arm or leg can be tough anywhere, but for people in poorer parts of the world it is especially challenging. Such stories of lives devastated by conflict or disease are all too common in developing countries. But at least his hands are free to carry things such as food and water, unlike those on crutches. Reaching the most basic services often entails long walks and it can be difficult to get to training. ![]() He plays wheelchair basketball for his country, although he relies on a prosthetic lower leg to struggle around the muddy, sprawling camp. ![]() Now, a decade later, he lives in a Juba refugee camp, having suffered further troubles in the conflict that has engulfed the struggling new nation of South Sudan. Finally, Nhial (not his real name) was put on a flight to the Kenyan border, his life only saved when he was handed over to a Red Cross team. It took 25 days before he received proper treatment, during which time he developed tetanus down one side of his body. His comrades carried him back to base camp, but there was hardly any medical care available.
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