Sections
Newsletter
Subscribe to newsletter:
Poll: CFA
Government takes policy decision to abrogate CFA.
Did you enjoy this article?
(total 0 votes)
Most Popular
Most Commented
Most E-mailed
'ARSCI' launches specialised Rehab Centre for patients with Spinal Cord Injury.
editor on 03 December, 2008 09:34:46 | 365 times read
Adjust font size:
. The Association for Rehabilitation of Spinal Cord Injuries (ARSCI) today announced the forthcoming launch of Sri Lanka’s first ever Rehabilitation Centre for Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) situated adjacent to the Ragama Teaching Hospital. The ‘ARSCI Centre’ is donated by the Husein Esufally Charitable Trust and is expected to be fully operational in February 2009 Addressing a Media Conference on the occasion of World Disability Day (03 December), President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association Vidyajyothi Prof. Lalitha Mendis said, “Disability due to Spinal Cord Injury has become a major problem with the increasing number of road traffic and other accidents such as falls from heights such as trees. For example a Colombo Medical Faculty student recently sustained a serious spinal cord injury when a temporary shed in which she took shelter collapsed. The country has insufficient specialised services for the long term rehabilitation of these patients. Such long term expert rehabilitation can make a tremendous difference to their life style”. ARSCI is a voluntary body dedicated to improving the lives of those afflicted with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) and was founded by Husein Esufally, a business leader and a man with first hand experience of SCI. “Having suffered from SCI, I was fortunate enough to travel overseas for treatment and have seen the focus given to post-surgical rehabilitation therapy and its role in helping people recover from and deal with their condition. There is clearly a significant need for this type of service in Sri Lanka and it is this that prompted me to support this initiative”, Esufally said. The ARSCI Centre will provide state-of-the-art care in a holistic manner under one roof. It will be run in affiliation with the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya which will provide medical expertise in the rehabilitation of patients through its highly qualified academic staff. Prof. Rajitha Wickremesinghe, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya said, “The ARSCI Centre will not provide acute in-patient care, but rather, it will be a Referral Centre for patients with SCI at the Ragama Teaching Hospital and base hospitals in the surrounding areas for long term rehabilitation. It will provide free specialised consultation services by the academic staff of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. In addition there will be facilities for physiotherapy, occupational therapy, counselling services, social support services and minor surgical care”. The Centre’s specialised team will be equipped to help individuals with their physical, mental and social needs. Every patient will be assessed individually and an Individualised Plan of Management developed. The Centre will have a range of modern equipment to improve patient’s muscle-strength and range of movement. In-home training, education on skin, bowel and bladder care will also be offered, while counselling services extend to family members and carers. Where needed, ARSCI will facilitate medical and surgical treatment. The final goal is to improve the quality of life of patients and their carers and to ensure that the maximum potential of the person with SCI is achieved . Dr. Borra, the Country Representative of WHO, while congratulating the ARSCI and the Faculty of Medicine, Ragama for initiating this project, endorsed the need for such services in developing countries such as Sri Lanka to uplift the quality of life of these unfortunate patients. Outlining the future plans for ARSCI, Professor Wickremesinghe added “In the future a team of professionals from our Centre will visit the SCI patient’s home before he/she is discharged from hospital, and advise family members on accessibility issues and low cost adaptations. Also in the pipeline are a mobile physiotherapy unit which will treat people in their locality and satellite centres with similar services. The main aim of these activities will be to facilitate suitable home environments for the SCI patient to live in and to achieve their maximum potential”. ARSCI will campaign on issues such as disability rights, accessibility issues and other related areas to ensure the rights and dignity of SCI patients. Issues such as making public buildings disabled friendly will be top on the agenda. ARSCI strongly believes that educating the public, medical students, postgraduate doctors and allied medical professionals on SCI management will have a ripple effect in improving the quality of life of SCI patients. ARSCI will forge links with other institutions that provide specialised services nationally, regionally and globally to offer the best services available at an affordable cost to the patient. A help line (2961000) has been made available from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm to provide information for SCI patients and their families on SCI management and general information on disability services and rights of persons with disabilities.
Comments (0 posted)
