The Gombe State Commission for Persons with Disabilities (GSCPWD), in collaboration with the Family Health Care Foundation and an international organisation, has launched a humanitarian initiative to provide free artificial upper-limb prostheses to eligible persons with physical disabilities across Gombe State.
The intervention, championed by Dr. Zainab Jamilu Ishiyaku Gwamna, Sarauniyar Matan Gombe, is aimed at restoring hope and improving the quality of life of individuals who have lost part or all of an upper limb due to illness, accidents, injuries or other circumstances. The highly specialised prosthetic devices, which are usually expensive, will be provided at no cost to qualified beneficiaries following medical assessment.
As part of the programme, the Gombe State Commission for Persons with Disabilities identified three prospective beneficiaries—Ruqayya Abdulhamid, Loveling Daniel and Zubairu Yushe’u, representing the state’s three senatorial zones—for preliminary screening and assessment.
During a meeting attended by representatives of the international organisation, the Executive Secretary of the Gombe State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Abdulrahman Jimaita, Executive Chairman of the Commission, Ishiyaku Adamu, and the prospective beneficiaries, Dr. Zainab assured participants that the entire intervention would remain free for all eligible beneficiaries.
The programme will include the identification, medical assessment, measurement, fitting and provision of appropriate artificial hands and upper-limb prosthetic devices. According to the organisers, the intervention is expected to significantly enhance beneficiaries’ independence, functional ability, confidence, livelihood opportunities and overall well-being while restoring their dignity.
The GSCPWD commended Dr. Zainab for her unwavering commitment to supporting persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, describing her humanitarian efforts as a source of hope for many families across the state. The Commission also expressed appreciation to Dr. Abdulrahman Jimaita for his support and coordination in facilitating the initiative.
Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Ishiyaku Adamu, described the programme as a life-changing intervention that aligns with the commitment of the Gombe State Government under Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya to the rehabilitation, empowerment, protection and inclusion of persons with disabilities. He reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness to coordinate beneficiary identification, stakeholder engagement, disability inclusion guidance and monitoring to ensure the success of the programme.
He further called on government institutions, traditional rulers, community leaders, health facilities, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), civil society organisations and other stakeholders to support the implementation of the initiative.
Meanwhile, the Commission has appealed to members of the public to report or refer individuals who have lost part or all of one upper limb, particularly amputations at or slightly above the wrist, for screening and possible inclusion in the programme. It stressed that the screening, assessment, fitting and provision of prosthetic limbs are entirely free of charge, urging families, community leaders, health workers and disability organisations to direct eligible persons to the Commission’s office at the High Court Premises, Tudun Wada, Gombe, for further information.
The Commission noted that the initiative reflects a shared commitment to restoring independence, dignity and hope to persons living with upper-limb disabilities, reaffirming that disability should never be a barrier to living a productive and fulfilling life.
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