UK charity STAND launches a 3D printed prosthetic socket pilot in The Gambia
The EU-backed program pairs scanning and printing technology with a five-institution partnership to fit amputees
STAND, a UK-based charity, has launched a pilot program in The Gambia that uses 3D scanning and printing to fabricate sockets, the component that connects an amputee’s residual limb to a prosthetic leg. The program is being co-financed by the European Union as part of a wider initiative addressing the shortage of prosthetic care across Africa.
Conventional socket manufacture leaves little margin for error: a single millimeter of deviation can cause pain and lead a patient to abandon the limb altogether, STAND reported. The charity said the 3D printing process was designed to reduce that risk while also cutting fabrication costs, shortening turnaround times and removing the hazardous chemicals typically used in socket production.
A five-institution partnership
The pilot draws on a group of partner organizations. The Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia (MRCG), part of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, hosted the 3D printers and led fabrication work.
The Gambia’s National Rehabilitation Center (NRC) supplied the prosthetists who led patient fittings. The University of Southampton supported the research component, while 3D Lab, part of Radboud University Medical Center, supplied specialized software and training.
Extending care beyond the capital
Because the scanning equipment was portable, technicians could scan an amputee’s residual limb on site rather than requiring the patient to travel to the National Rehabilitation Center in the capital. The socket was then printed and the completed leg delivered back to the patient – a model STAND and its partners were studying for wider use across rural Gambia and beyond.
Martin Norman, Deputy High Commissioner at the British High Commission Banjul, said: “This innovative partnership shows how UK-supported expertise, combined with local leadership in The Gambia, can deliver practical solutions that improve lives.
“Harnessing cutting-edge 3D printing technology presents an opportunity to expand access to high-quality prosthetic care and ensure more people can regain their mobility, independence and dignity, improving outcomes for patients across The Gambia.”
Tom Williams OBE, founder of STAND, added: “This is an exciting development compared to STAND’s usual operations in The Gambia. The project not only empowers Gambians to manufacture their own high-quality components, but it also harnesses mobile scanning technology to bring life-changing care directly to rural amputees.”
