For several years, the project of making an Angled ramp for pediatric rehabilitation in Holguín has been part of an idea, as part of the intention of designing several devices conceived to improve the quality of life of children who need to use this device.
Damaris Rodriguez Perez, a graduate in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation at the Pediatric Hospital Octavio de la Concepcion de la Pedraja, was limited in creating this project because she did not have the appropriate raw materials and labor, so she sought help from the non-state sector.
According to Damaris herself, the complexity of the elaboration of this type of means is given in that they need to be made of a suitable material and with the required level of finish. So the Angled ramp has a ladder and a hanging ramp and has many benefits for children because it improves posture, balance and strength.
Hence its use in multiple pathologies such as children with cerebral palsy, knee or foot deformities and weakness in the lower limbs. It was then, after a presentation at ExpoHolguín, that he met the independent artists who would later help him make his dream come true.
Project Heart
“We saw the material they were using and the idea arose to talk with them to see if they wanted to contribute to public health. We came up with this project called Corazón, because with the heart we work for the children. The next steps were to go to the hospital, take the measurements of the design they were going to give us and from there they worked in their workshop. At all times they were receptive and collaborated with us. Once the ramp is ready, it will be donated to our institution.
Angular ramp made of plastic wood, based on recycled plastic. Photo: Maylín Betancourt Verdecia
Ernesto Aguilera Mirabal, commercial representative of the artistic group Zeus, which undertook the construction of this Angled ramp, explains that they are three independent artists who market their products through the company Servicios al Arte and the Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales.
“We decided to get involved in the project with the pediatric hospital to make this angular ramp because we do it from the heart, that’s why we didn’t hesitate for a second to give our contribution. We built the first of several prototypes that we want to contribute to the pediatric hospital, with the use of a product called plastic wood, which although it is not new is made entirely from recycled plastic, after a casting process at 420 degrees of temperature, a mold is placed and the wood is made.
Long life span
“It will last for many years because it is strong, it absorbs enough humidity, it is resistant to it so much that it can be taken to places near the sea, outdoors and it is very resistant, so children will be able to handle it easily. We hope that it will not remain only in the pediatric hospital of Holguin but will reach the 16 provinces of Cuba and the special municipality of the Isle of Youth”.
So this angled ramp will be very useful in the rehabilitation of countless children in the eastern region who attend this rehabilitation service, because according to Rodriguez Perez “as it is made of a hard plastic, resistant to both heat and water, we are talking about disabled children who have sphincter disorders and urinate easily. When they climb the ladder they can get it wet and the material it is made of will not break, it will last and will be very useful for our rehabilitation room.
“This would be the first ramp donated to the pediatric hospital,
but from this project other donations will be made to other rehabilitation wards in rehabilitation wards in the province of Holguín. Also We also hope it will have a great impact because it will be exhibited in Havana and I think it will be I think it will be standardized in all the provinces of the country”. This is, undoubtedly, another gift that pediatric rehabilitation is getting 20 years of the Cuban Comprehensive Rehabilitation Service.
- Holguin University of Medical Sciences grants awards to professors - 12 de May de 2024
- Holguin Clinical Hospital held a scientific conference on nursing - 10 de May de 2024
- Ariel Batista Osorio: “The Red Cross is the biggest part of my life” - 9 de May de 2024