what military personnel need to know in the event of a limb injury

“Nezlamni” rehabilitation center

Over the past two years, 74% of military personnel have suffered limb injuries. Amputation of limbs during combat is more than 15%. These are the data of the experts of the National program “#Save the End”.

In the manual “Guide to the Wounded”, specialists collected basic information about what a military person needs to know in the event of a limb injury – from the stage of evacuation to the moment of treatment.

“Roadmap for the wounded” was developed within the framework of the implementation of the National Program “Save a Limb”. The manual is designed as a step-by-step instruction, which indicates the order of actions of the military in case of injury. Its goal is to reduce the frequency of limb amputations.

You can also find legal advice on how to protect your rights or avoid financial losses in the “Wounded Road Map”.

Experts of the program say that in most cases amputation after injury is done either due to lobbying by businesses interested in the sale of prostheses, or due to the inexperience of doctors, hospital overload or insufficient medical funding.

“Amputation may seem like a solution to problems, but it’s actually a journey that requires a lot of courage, resilience and constant adaptation.

Each preserved limb is a chance for a full life, which nature itself provides. Amputation and prosthetics are a last resort,” – it says in the manual.

You can also find answers to the following questions in the guidebook:

• how to act in case of injury to a limb;
• where to apply;
• what to pay attention to;
• what not to pay attention to;
• what this or that action or inaction may lead to;
• recommendations on various regular and non-regular situations that concern the wounded and their relatives.

The manual can also be useful for relatives of fighters with wounded limbs, because the treatment process depends to a large extent on the actions and support of the environment.

In particular, relatives can help:

• coordinate the actions of the medical staff and learn from the doctors about the state of affairs;
• communicate with representatives of the military unit regarding various aspects of treatment;
• collect packages of necessary documents;
• take photos of X-rays, extracts;
• control the treatment plan.

To create “Wounded Highwayman”, the team of authors held dozens of consultations with military and civilian doctors, combat medics, veterans and the military themselves who were wounded and went through the road to recovery.

Work on the manual lasted two years – it began in the first days of a full-scale invasion. The road map will continue to be improved taking into account the new experience of doctors and victims.

In the future, the team plans to form a community for the wounded, their relatives, volunteers and public organizations, as well as create a mobile application that will help community members communicate and help each other.

We used to toldhow people with amputations and injuries undergo rehabilitation and return to life.

Anna Stopenko, “UP. Life”