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Antipersonnel landmines can cause injuries varied and severe enough to kill or maim those unfortunate enough to encounter them. As a result, victims who survive their encounter with a mine require extensive medical care, and subsequent rehabilitation – both physical and psychological. This issue is exacerbated by the fact that mines are generally found in areas in conflict, as is the case in Yemen, where resources can be scarce and infrastructure damaged.
The question then become how best to provide this support. Obviously, emergency medical care is administered, which varies on a case by case basis: for example, a mine that has been stepped on can lead to damage to or the loss of one or both legs, while a mine that has detonated while being handled can affect the face, hands, and arms. According to a report by the WHO, buried mines that have been stepped on require hospitalizations of more than 32 days, on average.
Once a mine victim leaves the hospital, they have to face a lifetime of physical rehabilitation. This has several different element: physiotherapy in cooperation with the hospital, and possibly the fitting of various kinds of prosthesis or other support devices. This is particularly complicated in the case of children, as they would have to be fitted with a number of different prostheses as they grow. Traditional prostheses can be notoriously expensive, but fortunately, advances in prosthetic technology, including 3D-printed and bionic limbs, are dramatically lowering their costs.
With regard to psychological rehabilitation, it should be noted that since coming into contact with a landmine is such a traumatic event, PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) is extremely prevalent. Returning to any kind of normalcy in light of this is a long and difficult process, never mind the large amount of external pressures mine victims often face, pressures like providing for their families in the wake of such an event, often still in the midst of conflict.
Ultimately, this a difficult and complex issue, but one that is important to address. With the clearing of landmines and other unexploded ordnance by Project Masam, one that is made one step closer to being addressed.