Gaza's Child Amputee Sidra Al Bordini with Bioniks CEO Anaz Niaz - Source Instagram

 

Pakistani Prosthetics Startup Aiding Gaza’s Child Amputees

By Riaz Haq
CA

While the Israeli weapons supplied by the "civilized" West are destroying the lives and limbs of thousands of Gaza's innocent children, a Pakistani  startup  is trying to provide them with free custom-made prostheses, according to media reports. The Karachi-based startup Bioniks was founded in 2016 and has sold prosthetics that use AI and 3D scanning for custom designs. 

Bioniks has recently delivered its first prosthetics made for Gaza's children using remote imaging to design custom arms at low cost.  The demand for such prosthetics is high because, according to the United Nations, Gaza has 4,500 new amputees since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack which triggered Israel's brutal response and started the ongoing  genocide  in Gaza. 

A recent Reuters story cites the examples of two girls,  three-year-old Habebat Alla and eight-year-old Sidra Al Bordini, who recently received artificial limbs made by Bioniks. Both were severely injured in Israeli air strikes. Sidra and Habebat Allah, who lost both her arms and a leg in Gaza, went through days of remote consultations and virtual fittings. Then Niaz flew from Karachi to Amman, Jordan to meet the girls and make his company's first overseas delivery. Children need lighter limbs and replacements every 12–18 months as they grow.  Niaz said the company was exploring funding options for Sidra and Habebat's future replacements, adding the cost wouldn't be too high.

The company used a smartphone app to take pictures from different angles and created a 3D model to print custom prosthetics. Bioniks CEO Anas Niaz said the social enterprise startup had fit more than 1,000 custom-designed arms inside Pakistan since 2021 - funded through a mix of patient payments, corporate sponsorship, and donations - but this was its first time providing prosthetics to those impacted in conflict, according to  Reuters . 

Here's how the company describes itself on its  website : "At Bioniks, we believe in turning disabilities into possibilities. Founded with a mission to empower individuals with disabilities, we are pioneers in advanced prosthetics and assistive technologies in Pakistan. Our innovative solutions are designed to restore mobility, independence, and dignity to those who need it most. Bioniks revolutionizes the field of healthcare through advanced-level prosthesis and surgical planning tools that are created using state of the art technologies and designing techniques. We at Bioniks aim to provide healthcare solutions that bring measurable value to those who use it and are shaped keeping their precise needs in mind."

Earlier this year, the startup was recognized for contributions to advancing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, placing it among the world’s most “impactful and scalable” technology. It is the first Pakistani company to win the Zero Project Award, according to  media reports . 

(Riaz Haq is a Silicon Valley-based Pakistani-American analyst and writer. He blogs at  www.riazhaq.com)