Use technology to remove pain: Kalam

Pune, Jun 8 (UNI) Lauding the new breakthroughs in medical sciences, President A P J Kalam today said technology can be used to remove pain of the physically challenged people.

Having successfully flown in a Su-30 MKI, Mr Kalam rounded off his visit spending time with the physically challenged at the Physically Handicapped Research Centre (PHRC) at Wanwadi here late afternoon, which is celebrating its golden jubilee.

Addressing the audience, he said that the society has built-up infrastructure for carrying out the rehabilitation surgeries, physiotherapy and workshop for fabricating orthotic and prosthetic aids, providing healthcare to patients with orthopedic disabilities for the past five decades but added that it needs to selflessly work in alleviating pain.

Mr Kalam pointed out that noted physicist Dr Stephen Hawking, who suffers from multiple physical disabilities, was a great example.

''He is one of the most accomplished physicists of our time. This great scholar was affected by motor neuron disease which deteriorated so much that it threatened his research career. His speech became slurred and many people predicted that he would not live to complete his Ph D. His determination and the help that he received from modern technology made sure that he not only lived to complete his PhD but also made the most enviable contribution to Physics,-- the string theory. He is a great living example in radiating the confidence to win in the midst of multiple physical disabilities.

The President asked the Society to work in the rural areas and work with devotion in a spirit of service citing examples of physically challenged children getting a new life with the active partcipation of NGO's and government officials.

He said that the composite product technologies helped the disabled to have light weight artificial limbs or FROs (Floor Reaction Orthosis) - calipers at an affordable cost and at one tenth weight in composite material.

After the development of FRO, many camps have been conducted for fitting FRO's including at Chandipur and Balasore district.

''I could see the happiness of the recipients in these camps because of the lightness of the FRO. Disabled children can lead a new life and that should be the concern,'' he said.

Interacting with the physically challenged children, Mr Kalam said that despite busy schedule, he takes time off to address the plight of children and downtradden.

The President also announced a donation of Rs 3 lakh from the President's Fund while Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who also present, announced a donation of Rs 10 lakh to the institution.

The institution imparts training to 125 boys and 105 girls who are physically handicapped.

UNI SP/DWN VD HT2305