Artificial limb specialist gives service to the needy

The Jakarta Post, Thu, 11/13/2008 10:29 AM  

A GIFT OF HOPE: Victoria Silalahi shows one of the prosthetic legs produced at her shop on Jl. Tambak, Central Jakarta. (JP/Agnes Winarti)

 

Pay a visit to Victoria Silalahi's modest prosthesis and orthosis workshop stall on Jl. Tambak, Menteng, Central Jakarta, and you might be surprised to hear it has catered to more than 1,000 physically disabled people since starting up in October 2001. 

"Of the 1,000 clients we have served, more than half are poor people who participated in the (local TV station) Indosiar Peduli Kasih program, which specialized in helping less fortunate people," Victoria, a graduate of Glugur Hospital's physiotherapy program in Medan, North Sumatra, told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview. 

A prosthesis is a device, either external or implanted, that substitutes for or supplements a missing or defective part of the body, while an orthosis is an external orthopedic appliance that prevents or assists the movement of the spine or limbs. 

The program's participants receive these devices for free, after submitting documents attesting to their tight financial situation. The store charges the program a price that is 30 to 40 percent less than each device's normal price. 

Her clients come not just from around Jakarta but also Cibitung and Bandung in West Java, Serang in Banten, Bandar Lampung in Lampung, and Medan. 

Victoria used to work at a similar store selling imported prostheses and orthoses for two years, before teaming up with an orthopedic doctor to open the workshop stall. 

"Imported devices are very costly. I was motivated to create more affordable ones made of local materials available in Glodok (West Jakarta)," the 35-year-old says, referring to the plastic fiber and aluminum used in the devices. 

"Although they use local materials, all are custom-made to each client, because a prosthesis is just like an individual's fingerprint," says Victoria, whose store specializes in producing external locally made prostheses and orthoses. There are only a few of this kind of store in the capital. 

For instance, she points out, an imported prosthetic leg below the knee can cost up to Rp 12 million, compared with a locally made one for only Rp 3 million. Other prosthetic limbs can cost Rp 15 to 20 million for an imported product, and only Rp 5 million for a locally made one. 

Victoria's workshop employs two workers and a technician. She said they were able to make a prosthetic leg in two weeks, and an orthosis device in just two days. 

She adds although most of her customers request locally made prostheses, the shop also caters to requests for imported orthoses and artificial arms. 

"Our customers over the last five years have learned about us through word of mouth, often from orthopedists or physiotherapists at various hospitals," she says. 

"Most of those who have used our products are satisfied with the affordability and our service. They always come back to us, either for minor repairs or to buy a new device." 

Each day, Victoria carries out fitting and measurement for customers at hospitals and clinics across Jakarta, such as Harapan Kita, Cipto Mangunkusumo, St. Carolus, Cikini, Hermina, Koja and Karya Medika among others.

 "My mission is to serve," she explains. 

Many of her customers are children. They become disabled for several reasons, including illness, accidents, or birth defects. 

Besides having regular customers, Victoria continues to seek out and welcome poor people who may benefit from the products and services she has to offer. --JP/Agnes Winarti