In Russia, there is a shortage of prostheses for those returning from the war in Ukraine

In Russia, there is a shortage of prostheses for those returning from the war in Ukraine. Queues for prosthetics range from several months to a year or more. Even deputies of the State Duma recognize this – for example, the head of the LDPR faction, Leonid Slutsky. At the plenary session of the Duma, he reported that the average waiting period for prostheses reaches eight months.

The Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, called the situation “unacceptable” and proposed to invite “responsible deputy ministers of health and labor and social protection, who are responsible for prosthetics” to the next meeting.

Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Anna Kuznetsova also mentioned the complaints of disabled people and their relatives that prostheses are not issued on time and that they are of low quality. Among the reasons for the current situation, Kuznetsova cited the high cost of prostheses and the strong dependence of the industry on imports, which decreased after the introduction of international sanctions against Russia. 60% of rehabilitation funds on the Russian market are imported products. Modern bionic prostheses are not produced in Russia.

The unavailability of prosthetics is also complained about in Russian regions. Krasnoyarsk doctor Sergey Nikolaenko opened a charity fund to collect money for prosthetics for war invalids in Ukraine who received facial injuries. According to him, it is difficult or impossible to get government financing for many restoration methods. One of his patients, wounded in the face in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, lost an eye and part of his jaw. An hour has passed since the injury, but the former soldier still has to plug the hole in his jaw with gauze when eating – that’s the only way he can eat normally.

“It’s a shame for the state,” says Nikolaenko, mentioning that the wounded soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces undergo rehabilitation in university clinics in Europe and the United States.

• In March 2022, the State Duma extended the status of combat veterans to participants in the war in Ukraine. Among other benefits, they are entitled to free prosthetics at the expense of the state.