Pune

Corporal Varun Kumar, a paramedic with the Indian Air Force, lost his right hand when an enemy missile struck a first-aid post at the forward location of Udhampur airbase during Operation Sindoor.

Within weeks, Kumar, who recuperated at the Artificial Limb Centre (ALC) in Pune, has begun performing his daily activities on his own with the help of a cosmetic hand, a strong will and support from the doctors of the premier institute.

Besides Kumar, two more armed forces bravehearts, a Subedar from the Indian Army and a Sergeant from the Air Force, who had sustained injuries during operational preparedness in Operation Sindoor, have also made remarkable progress at the ALC, said officials.

The Subedar lost both his hands, while the sergeant lost a leg.

Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh visited the ALC last month and met Kumar, who received a Vayu Sena Medal for his role in India’s military strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The IAF chief interacted with Kumar and other armed forces personnel at ALC, a tri-service institution of the Armed Forces Medical Services, and took an update of their recovery.

Kumar has been provided with a cosmetic hand and has also been trained to use his left hand for daily activities such as writing, eating, and wearing clothes, Brigadier CN Satish, the Commandant of ALC told PTI.

“Though a right-handed earlier, he has adapted well with strong motivation and support from the doctors and staff at the centre,” he said.

Kumar has been sent home to make him adopt with home set up and once he returns, he will be provided with a bionic hand which will help him perform his activities more smoothly, said Brigadier Satish.

He added that at ALC, amputees are trained step by step to carry out various activities, with the aim of making them self-reliant.

“We use specially designed gauntlets, utensil prosthetics and artificial limbs to make the amputees perform their activities on their own,” he added.

Talking about the Subedar who lost his hands, Brigadier Satish said that using the specially designed gauntlets, he can attach tools such as a spoon, toothbrush, knife, or comb and perform his chores.

“Over time, he will also be provided with bionic hands and trained in their use so that he can function independently. With appropriate fittings and certain modifications to a car, an amputee can even learn to drive,” he said.

The officer said that they maintain a list of essential tasks like writing, brushing, feeding and bathing and systematically teach these to the amputees.

“At the same time, we encourage them to pursue hobbies or other activities they feel unable to carry out. Once identified, we work on finding solutions to make those activities possible for them,” he said.

Brigadier Satish said when the Subedar first came to the centre in July, he was completely dependent on others. “Within a month, he became independent in many activities like feeding himself, writing, brushing his teeth, and combing his hair. We are also teaching him how to bathe independently, a particularly difficult task for someone without both hands,” he added.

The Sergeant, who lost his leg in a missile blast, has been given knee disarticulation prosthesis and showing significant recovery.

“Generally, people who lose limbs go into trauma. To prevent the patient from slipping into negativity, we ensure they start walking or performing daily activities with the help of artificial limbs at the earliest.

“Our aim is to resurrect them through rehabilitation, which works in multiple ways. In the case of the Sergeant, we made him walk immediately and boosted his morale,” Col GP Reddy from ALC.

ALC Pune was established amid World War II on May 19, 1944, to provide prosthetic solutions and comprehensive rehabilitation to amputee soldiers.

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The centre provides comprehensive rehabilitation to disabled soldiers of armed forces and paramilitary forces, and also to veterans, families and civilians.