Giving wheelchairs without prescription and assessment by a trained professional is dangerous as it increases risks of developing critical health conditions.
To avoid such risks and strengthen the wheelchair service in the country, physiotherapists from various districts underwent three weeks training in the capital that ended today.
The training has provided the physiotherapists the skills to increase the quality of wheelchair service delivery for people with complex need mainly those who need a comparatively higher level of intervention.
“A service provider just cannot issue a wheelchair to a person with special needs. They have to be involved in assessment say the postural assessment, including the risk for complications,” said Karma Phuntsho, a Physiotherapist with the National Referral Hospital in Thimphu.
Wheelchairs that are appropriate, well-designed to suit a person’s comfort not only enhance mobility but also open up a world of education, work and social life for those in need of support.
“If you don’t have a proper fitting wheelchair, it can be extremely dangerous. You can get the pressure sores which can be life threatening,” said the Programme Director of the Health Volunteers Overseas, Linda Wolff.
She added that, “You can get all kinds of complications like deformities of your body if the wheelchair is not user friendly.”
Similar training is expected to be rolled out in other parts of the country to achieve greater integration of wheelchair service delivery.
