What happens to an amputee when he or she loses a limb? Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises and Development (FRIEND) Fiji director Sashi Kiran says only those close to such patients know the answer to that question.

“The minute they go home, they have lost their dignity. Most likely they have lost their employment and in many communities, people do not know how to look after them and they become somebody very unsupported,” Ms Kiran said.

“There is no readily available mobility aid, people don’t know enough to mobilise them and some of them remain bedridden for long periods of time.”

Ms Kiran said that through their health program, FRIEND Fiji had been assisting families and amputees adapt to their new life. “So, we have been giving mobility aid and we have physiotherapists that help with their mobilisation.

“We want to get them moving again, at least to help them become self-reliant and not be so dependent on others.”

Ms Kiran said it was easy for amputees to feel neglected, but with assistance they could be enabled to be self-sufficient.

“One of the things we have seen, especially in iTaukei homes, is toilets and bathrooms are quite a distance from their houses, so amputees many times have to crawl through dirt or crawl on uneven steps to get to the toilet, for example.

“We have a lot of these conversations with whole families on how to make lives more comfortable for these guys.

“How do we make them mobile enough that even with a walking stick they are able to move on their own.

“So that is a large part of our work.”