During 5 June – 22 September 2017, Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, will organize a basic course on the Lower Extremity Prostheses (Phrase 2) for three officials from the Foundation for Disabled and Mutilated Military of the Republic of Senegal at the Prostheses Foundation of H.R.H. the Princess Mother in Chiang Mai. This basic course is an activity continuing from phrase 1 aimed at training new staff of the Foundation to replace those who have retired.

          The Project was initiated in 2010 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Senegal.  The main objective was to set up a prostheses unit for the disabled in Senegal. The prosthesis legs invented by Thai experts were found to be efficient, comfortable and reasonable as they were made of local material. 

          The project actually started in 2011 by TICA in collaboration with the Prostheses Foundation of H.R.H. the Princess Mother. Training courses were provided on the Lower Extremity Prostheses and equipment for Senegalese officials. Thai experts were dispatched to set up the equipment in the Ouakam Military Hospital.

          In 2015, TICA went to Senegal to monitor the project and discussed with high – level officials of the Foundation for Disabled and Mutilated Military. The Hospital has provided prosthesis legs for more than 300 patients in Senegal and neighboring countries, namely Gabon and Congo. TICA, therefore, decided to extend the project to phase 2 to upgrade the prostheses unit in Senegal as the prostheses center in Western Africa.

          The second phase began in 2016 by conducting three training courses during June – August 2016, which are (1) Advance Course in Lower Extremity Prostheses, (2) Hip Disarticulation Prostheses Course, and (3) Prostheses Course for Physician and Physical Therapist and also the Basic Course in Lower Extremity Prostheses as mentioned above.

          Moreover, this year, TICA also supported one undergraduate scholarship for Senegalese official who has already trained both basic and advance courses on prostheses to study Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics Programme in Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University.

          The Prostheses Project in Senegal is one of the projects in the area of public health which Thailand has expertise and can share experience and best practices with other developing countries, especially in the African region.