Kamal Group launches unit for manufacturing artificial limbs in Dar

The Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment and Youth and the Disabled), Mr Anthony Mavunde (centre) presents an artificial limb to Ms Mwanaisha Mohammed during an event where the Dar es Salaam-based Kamal Group donated a total of 108 artificial limbs to the disabled people in the city at the weekend. From left is: a lecturer from Mzumbe University Dar es Salaam Campus, Dr Coretha Komba, a Kamal Group director, Mr Satyam Gupta, Kamal Group founder, Mr Santosh Gupta, Kamal Group chairman, Mr Gagan Gupta and director, Mr Sameer Gupta. PHOTO|VENANCE NESTROY

What you need to know:

The company, which holds an International Standard Organisation (ISO 9001:2008) certification in steel production, has been running a special humanitarian project whereby it donates artificial limbs to various disabled Tanzanians for three years now.

Dar es Salaam. The Dar es Salaam-based Kamal Group has set up a special unit for manufacturing of artificial limbs as it seeks to reach an increased population of the disabled community with its humanitarian project.

The company, which holds an International Standard Organisation (ISO 9001:2008) certification in steel production, has been running a special humanitarian project whereby it donates artificial limbs to various disabled Tanzanians for three years now.

Under normal circumstances, a disabled person needs between Sh1.5 million and Sh3 million to buy an artificial from various hospitals across the country.

“We have set up a special unit that manufactures these artificial limbs at Kamal Steel as a way of cutting costs associated with the making of the products….We are doing this for the third year and we will continue doing so,” the Kamal Group chairman, Mr Gagan Gupta said at the weekend during an event where the company donated 108 artificial limbs to some of the disabled people in Dar es Salaam.

The donation was made through Kamal Group’s Peoples’ Empowerment Foundation (PEF) and was graced by the Deputy Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment and Youth and the Disabled), Mr Anthony Mavunde.

To Ms Mwanaisha Mohammed, the donation rekindled her hope of taking part in the building of an industrial economy.

“I don’t have anything to give back to Kamal Group but allow me to say, I am extremely delighted because after nine years, I will now be able to walk again,” said Ms Mwanaisha Mohammed.

In his remarks, Mr Mavunde acknowledged the wonderful contribution of PEF and Kamal Group to Tanzania’s social economic development and urged other companies to emulate.

“Through this Kamal Group is showing us that it is a good corporate citizen. If every company can emulate this, we in government will be happy with them. This will then give us an impetus to further improve the business climate,” he said.

He said the government will meet with Kamal Group officials with a view to designing the best way to ensure that the artificial limb project reaches all the needy Tanzanians across the country.

Available data (help me with the source in line with your video clip) at least 3.6 million Tanzanians have various forms of disabilities. Out of the number, some 1.7 million have disabled parts, including limbs and arms among others.

However, data from the Tanzania Association of the Disabled, show that it is only about 20 per cent who can actually get access artificial body parts such as limbs.