The lecturer in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering Faculty UGM, added that the local manufacturing process is also not standardized yet, because the plates are made by small companies with a limited equipment. "As yet, there is no local production which meets technical standards and quality," he added.
Suyitno mentioned, research for the product development involves various researchers from the Laboratory of Materials Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Industry UGM, orthopedic surgeons at the Orthopaedic and Traumatology Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with researchers at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands.
The development of this product is also expected to reduce dependence on imports of similar products. “The main thing is, while still maintaining good quality, it would reduce the price of the plates, making them affordable,” Suyitno said.
Bone connector plate is one of the medical devices that has long been used to help fractured or broken bones. But the quality of reconstruction and healing of the bone is not maximal. This is because bone connector plates do not fit the size of the bones of Indonesia people.
This fact encouraged a number of UGM researchers to conduct a joint research to develop a bone fractures connector plate of an Indonesian size. "All this time bone connector plates that are used are from overseas, therefore their size refers to the anatomy of human bones in that region. This greatly affects the quality of the reconstruction and healing of bones," Dr. Suyitno, one of the researchers, said on Friday (30/7) on UGM campus.
Further, Suyitno said that bone connector plates sold in Indonesia do not have the appropriate dimensions of the Indonesian size. Local production plates are made, imitating foreign products and without going through research. "Local production plates are still awaiting certification from the competent agencies, so that the orthopedic surgeons are reluctant to use them," he explained.