Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: Soldiers facing a postcode lottery for 'super' limbs: "HUNDREDS of soldiers who have had arms and legs blown off by the Taliban may find that cash-strapped hospitals cannot afford to fix or replace sophisticated artificial limbs, campaigners warned last night.
Since 2006, members of the Armed Forces injured in bomb blasts while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq have been provided with top-range prosthetics by the Ministry of Defence.
When they leave the Army, however, their care is passed on to the NHS in what critics described as a postcode lottery for funds. One campaigner said: “The way things are going, soldiers risk walking into a hospital with a bionic leg and leaving with a wooden peg.”
High tech artificial legs containing micro motors and computer-driven knee joints, which improve the walker’s gait and limit the risk of tripping, are readily available. Some of the newest prosthetics fuse with the patient’s muscles and tendons.
However, they are expensive, costing, on average, £15,000 to £20,000. Some can cost as much as £60,000."
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