Illiterate man crafts artificial limbs

MURIDKE: Having no formal education, Malik Iftikhar, 38, has sold over a hundred and has given 83 artificial limbs for free – all of which he claims to have manufactured.

Operating a 5-marla generator shop for 22 years, Iftikhar initially developed interest in making artificial limbs to aid his disabled cousin, who lost both his legs in an incident 16 years ago.

“I acquired a German bionic arm and legs and closely examined it for days,” he says.

Skin glove, a sheet used to skin the final assemble, is the only part being imported.

The other parts such as gears, motors, batteries, rods and so forth are manufactured at a laboratory he runs atop his workshop.

About its cost, he said “A thin and small-sized arm or leg costs a minimum Rs9,000 to Rs10,000.

If we are to assemble it for a well-built adult, a leg’s cost can go up to Rs40,000. A German-manufactured bionic limb costs Rs100,000 to Rs125,000 and they lift a bare minimum of one kilogramme while the arms I’ve manufactured so far can handle up to 3kgs,” he claims.

Iftikhar told that initially only a few people from nearby villages knew about his talent. “But now, I’ve six clients from Karachi and over a dozen from Sindh,” he exclaims.

Iftikhar’s elder son 16-year-old son, Adalit, has also exhibited interest in his father’s line of business. “He is always coming up with new ideas. Currently, he’s working with me on developing mechanical shoulders.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2010.