Gold Coast Hand Therapy have recently celebrated 10 years of partnership with the plastic surgery camp at the Mahatma Ghandi Tribal Hospital. The hospital is a part of the MAHAN Trust, an NGO in the remote region of Melghat (800km from Mumbai) in the state of Maharashtra, India.
MAHAN Trust provides much needed critical care to the local tribal villages as well as outreach programs to promote a self-sustainable health service. The 2024 plastic surgery camp completed over 130 surgeries in 3 days and Shanna was fortunate enough to attend the most recent camp.
The people attending the surgery camp are mostly from surrounding villages and living well below the poverty line. Many of the surgeries are to release burn contractures that are limiting movement and function and in some cases affecting the growth and positioning of the limbs. The burns have often been untreated by trained health professionals and left to heal by secondary intention. The surgeries are performed in the hopes to improve function, appearance and skin integrity.
The Hand Therapy role is pivotal in fabricating a thermoplastic splint instead of traditional plaster as it is durable, waterproof, gift weight and much more suitable to the environment and living conditions of the patient. The removable splints allow for easier wound management and rehabilitation with local service providers once the camp has finished.
In addition to Surgery Camp, Gold Coast Hand Therapy visit The Home for Aged Care and Handicapped in Nagpur, who provide education, physiotherapy and housing to children both orphaned and local, as well as adults with disability. Our purpose as hand therapists is to provide splinting for the upper limb to prevent further contracture of the hand and wrist allowing for hygiene and protect skin integrity.
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