Pakistani's Bioniks fits first prosthetic limb on Gaza child survivor Sidra
The company said the fitting was made possible through its partnership with Mafaz, Bioniks' official collaborator in Jordan. The recipient, Sidra, lost her arm during the war and now becomes the first beneficiary of Bioniks' long-term humanitarian initiative aimed at war victims in Gaza.
'This marks the beginning of Bioniks' mission to support amputees in Gaza,' the company said in a statement posted to X on Thursday, adding that Sidra's journey 'reflects the resilience of so many in Gaza.'
History made.
Sidra, a young girl from Gaza, received her first bionic arm, fitted by Bioniks in Jordan.
Manufactured in Pakistan, with the support of our clinic partner Mafaz.#Bioniks #BionicArm #Gaza #Prosthetics #HistoryMade #TechForGood #EmpoweringLives pic.twitter.com/aeUcWfskt0
— Bioniks.org (@Bioniksorg) July 2, 2025
Bioniks said it hopes to give survivors 'mobility, confidence, hope, dignity, and independence ... in a place where conflict has taken so much.'
Bioniks did not specify how many Gaza patients it plans to support or the timeline for future fittings but said its mission will be sustained and scaled in coordination with regional partners.
Founded in Karachi, Bioniks specializes in low-cost, customizable prosthetics using 3D printing and smart sensors. It has gained international recognition for its work with children and war survivors across Pakistan, and has begun expanding its outreach to conflict zones in the region.
The latest war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out a cross-border attack on Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages according to Israeli tallies. Israel has since been carrying out a devastating air and ground assault on Gaza, whose health ministry says the offensive has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and tens of thousands more have been injured. The fighting has displaced nearly 80 percent of the population and decimated the strip's already fragile health infrastructure.
Aid organizations have widely reported a growing number of amputations, especially among children, due to Israeli airstrikes and the collapse of trauma care. UNICEF estimates that between 3,000 and 4,000 children in Gaza have had one or more limbs amputated. The besieged enclave is now home to more child amputees per inhabitant than anywhere else in the world.
Bioniks said its goal is to reach more children and adults in Gaza with personalized prosthetic limbs and follow-up care.
'Bioniks believes that no one should be left behind when it comes to mobility and dignity,' the company said in the press release. 'Through this initiative, our goal is to reach more children and adults affected by war with customized prosthetic limbs and long-term care.'
The company has previously worked with Pakistani hospitals and rehabilitation centers to provide smart prosthetics to underprivileged children and adults, often using crowd-funding and donor support to cover costs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan eyes ‘multibillion-dollar benefits' as it plans direct ferry link to Oman
KARACHI: Pakistan and Oman have agreed to deepen maritime cooperation, including launching a direct ferry service between Gwadar and the Sultanate, in a move that Islamabad says could unlock billions of dollars in trade, investment and transit revenue. The development follows a high-level meeting on Thursday between Pakistan's Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Oman's Ambassador Fahad bin Sulaiman bin Khalaf Al Kharusi. Both officials emphasized the need to boost maritime connectivity and capitalize on their long-standing economic and cultural ties. 'Minister Junaid Chaudhry underscored the economic potential of launching a direct ferry service from Gwadar to Oman, projecting multi-billion-dollar benefits in trade expansion, investment inflows and transit revenue,' said an official statement issued after the meeting. 'He stated that Pakistan stands to earn an estimated $10–15 billion annually through Gwadar's maritime operations, while Oman could establish a maritime corridor to South and Central Asia, significantly enhancing its regional connectivity,' it added. Earlier this week, the government announced its plan to launch a ferry service connecting Gwadar Port, a centerpiece of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, aiming to strengthen regional ties, improve passenger movement and access new markets across the Middle East. Pakistan's minister of maritime affairs said his country's exports to Oman stood at $224 million in 2024, and stressed the need to scale this up through improved port infrastructure and bilateral collaboration. As part of long-term cooperation, he also offered maritime training and education opportunities for Omani students at the Pakistan Marine Academy. The Omani ambassador welcomed the proposals and emphasized the importance of expanding cultural and commercial ties. He acknowledged the positive contributions of the Pakistani diaspora to Oman's development and noted that Urdu was widely understood in his country, reflecting strong social bonds between the two nations.
Al Arabiya
4 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Aid Groups Warn of Attacks on Sudan's Hospitals as Disease Outbreaks and Atrocities Mount
Humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm over attacks on healthcare facilities across Sudan, warning that they are happening amid what they describe as ongoing mass atrocities against civilians. Doctors Without Borders – also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, or MSF – said Thursday that 70 percent of medical facilities in Sudan have either closed or are barely operational, with no end to the war in sight. Sudan's civil war broke out in April 2023 after simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalated to fighting across the country. Some 40,000 people have been killed and nearly 13 million displaced, including to other countries, according to UN agencies. War has left many facing food insecurity and risk of famine and exposure to disease outbreaks like cholera, which remains hard to contain due to Sudan's collapsed healthcare system. In a report released Thursday titled 'Besieged, Attacked, Starved,' MSF warned that access to healthcare is nearly impossible due to systematic attacks, while the remaining operational facilities remain under constant threat. 'We call to all warring parties to stop violence against the civilian health facilities and civilian infrastructure and to facilitate a large-scale humanitarian response,' said Michel-Olivier Lacharité, MSF's head of emergency operations, in a news conference presenting the report. Echoing MSF's concerns, Save the Children warned Thursday that attacks on hospitals nearly tripled after two years of war. The group said in a statement that at least 933 people, including children, were killed during the first half of 2025. This figure is a 60-fold increase over the deaths recorded during the same period of the previous year, according to the group. Those killed were either seeking medical care or accompanying a loved one in a hospital. Major hospitals, clinics, health facilities, ambulances, and medical convoys all saw fatal attacks in a country where half the population requires humanitarian assistance, according to Save the Children. 'We are concerned that in most cases the hospitals that have come under fire also happen to be the only remaining hospitals in those areas, putting healthcare out of reach for millions, including displaced people,' said Francesco Lanino, deputy country director of programs and operations for Save the Children in Sudan. MSF particularly warned against violence in El Fasher city, the capital of North Darfur province, that made it near impossible for residents there and nearby displacement camps to access healthcare. As of April, only one hospital with surgical capacity remained partially operational, serving an estimated population of over one million. Over the past year, many patients and their caretakers have been killed while inside an MSF-supported medical facility. MSF urged the warring parties to halt indiscriminate and ethnically targeted violence and facilitate an immediate large-scale humanitarian response, particularly referring to threats of attacks on the hundreds of thousands of people in El Fasher, where fighting intensified since May 2024. Last month, Sudan's military accepted a UN proposal for a week-long cease-fire in El Fasher to allow aid delivery. However, the RSF did not explicitly agree to the truce and engaged in renewed clashes with the army in the southern part of the city this week. MSF urged the international community – especially countries engaging with both the Sudanese army and the RSF – to take stronger action to address the crisis in Sudan. 'They must use all the leverage to prevent further mass atrocities. They must place protection of civilians at the core of their engagement with the warring parties,' said Christopher Lockyear, secretary general of MSF International, on Thursday.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan pushes ahead with agri bank privatization under IMF-backed reform plan
KARACHI: The government on Thursday appointed a consortium of financial advisers for the sale of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), a state-owned agricultural lender, according to an official statement. The decision, made during a meeting of the Privatization Commission (PC) Board chaired by Muhammad Ali, Adviser to the Prime Minister, signals the government's intent to fast-track key transactions under its broader economic reform program. The board approved the selection of a consortium led by Next Capital Limited, which ranked highest among six qualified bidders. 'ZTBL is among the priority transactions in the current privatization pipeline. The appointment of a top-tier consortium of FAs [financial advisers] reflects the government's strong commitment to executing the process in a professional, transparent and timely manner,' the Privatization Commission said in a statement. Pakistan's privatization program, long encouraged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under various loan arrangements, is aimed at reducing fiscal losses from poorly performing state-owned enterprises (SOEs), improving governance and boosting private sector participation. The IMF has repeatedly called for structural reforms, including divestment from commercial entities, to ease pressure on public finances and strengthen the country's economic outlook. Alongside the appointment, the PC Board also approved the formation of a Negotiation Committee to finalize the Financial Advisory Services Agreement (FASA) with the selected consortium. Other shortlisted bidders included major consortiums led by Arif Habib Limited, A.F. Ferguson, AKD Securities, Bridge Factor and JS Bank. ZTBL provides agricultural credit and rural banking services across Pakistan. Its privatization is seen as part of a broader effort to reform the financial sector and reduce the state's commercial footprint.
