For six years (2004 - 2010), RCSID financially supported hip operations. The initiative was launched by the Austrian specialist Prof. Dr. Martin Salzer, head of the orthopedic development cooperation "AUSTRIAN DOCTORS FOR DISABLED", and a member of the Austrian Association of Orthopedics and Orthopedic Surgery. During his long-term work in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Prof. Dr. Martin Salzer created the "Social Hip Project", where unemployed people suffering from the severest hip deformities (dysplasia), were provided with artificial hip joint implants to recover their ability to walk and also to work and provide themselves and their families with income. The modern hip-prosthesis lasts for a lifetime for a minimum cost of 1,500 Euros, of which only 50% were covered by the local health insurance system. The remaining expense had to be paid by the patient. In cases where the patients could not cover the remaining costs, donors were found. RCSID enabled 20 operations, helping 20 persons to regain health and a better life for their families.
