The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, described as another success of Cuban science the Cuban project for manufacturing prosthesis for partial hip replacement presented during the usual meeting of experts and scientists on health issues held at the Palace of the Revolution.
The project, said the Head of State, is another proof of how much the Union of Military Industry can do, also linked to the solution of problems for the population, and an example of everything that can be done with the talent of our people".
"Those are the answers that must be given every day. Answers that show how incalculable the ingenuity, creativity and dedication that exist in the most unsuspected places in Cuba continue to be, allowing to overcome obstacles in order to improve the quality of life of our people," said Díaz-Canel during the meeting.
This novel project, which emerged in April last year, the aim is to gradually respond to the demand for hip replacements in the country, an issue of high sensitivity and impact among our population, particularly on the elderly.
According to the explanation offered by Doctor in Sciences Roberto Balmaseda Manet, a prominent Cuban orthopedic and traumatologist, the development of this product is supported by the dedication and talent of specialists from several entities led by the Ministry of Public Health and the Union of Military Industry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. They are joined in their efforts by the Fructuoso Rodriguez Orthopedic Teaching Hospital in Havana; the Alternative Technologies Company, Tecal S.A.; the universities of Matanzas and Camagüey; the non-state sector, and the Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED), among others.
After a detailed explanation about the production process and the innovations that had to be made in equipment and materials to achieve the required quality in the prostheses, Dr. Balmaseda said that in November 2022, CECMED, the national regulatory authority, granted the Exceptional Use Authorization for this product, which is currently in phase III of clinical trials.
So far, he said, 38 hip replacement surgeries have been performed at the Fructuoso Rodriguez Hospital. He stated that none of the patients have presented any technical complications during the surgical procedure, nor have there been any adverse reactions or infections after the implants.
He added that, among the results obtained in these months, the prosthesis and also of its different components have shown excellent articular stability.
The renowned orthopedic surgeon considered the development of this product will provide the country with sovereignty in the production of hip prostheses in the medium term. Four months ago, production of this product began at the Mayor General Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz Military Industrial Mechanical Plant. Production has been increasing little by little and it has now reached 150 prostheses every month. However, meeting the current demand among the Cuban population will require time and greater investments.
Multiple innovations and the union of various fields of knowledge converge in the purpose of providing a better quality of life. Doctors have changed their medical gowns to go to the workshops to supervise the works; engineers and technicians have had to broaden their knowledge in fields such as Biomechanics to support what they have proposed.
This is a project of wide cooperation, emphasized in the meeting this Wednesday the mechanical engineer Eliecer Blanco Rodríguez, who shared with those present the satisfaction to be able to contribute to the rehabilitation of people.
"The union of all of us has allowed us to advance successfully," he said in the meeting, in which the Vice Prime Minister Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Lella and the Minister of Public Health, José Angel Portal Miranda, were also present.
Although many people have contributed their dedication and intelligence to this project, the talent of Osbel Fleitas López, a self-employed worker and electronics technician, was decisive for the creation of the welding machine, an innovative and essential element for the production of the prostheses.
He was very pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the project and contribute his knowledge. "There is a magnificent integration between the work team, which has led to the current results," he said.
In addition to the merit for what they have achieved, their work opens the way for the development of other types of prostheses that are also needed in the country, said the Cuban President.
Translated by ESTI
