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| Kathmandu Monday April 08, 2002 Chaitra 26, 2058. |
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Spinal
injury rehab centre inaugurated
Post Report
KATHMANDU, April 7:Sir
Edmund Hilary, the pioneer climber of Mount Everest today inaugurated the Spinal Injury
Rehabilitation Centre, run by Spinal Injury Sangha Nepal, in collaboration with the Nepal
Disabled Association.
"The idea of
rehabilitation centre for spinal injury victims is enormously important in Nepal because I
have seen lots of people suffering from this problem in hospitals of Solukhumbu,"
Hilary said.
Kanak Mani Dixit, the
chairman of the Sangha and editor of Himal magazine, said that people in the Himalayan
Kingdom have been falling from the mountains and trees during their daily chore but hardly
any could reach the hospital.
Himself a victim of
such injury who was saved by a "series of miracles", Dixit said that in the West
this was mainly the injury of sports persons but here this was the destiny of most of the
poor people.
"I was lucky
enough to overcome the accident. I thought others might not be so. Then I discussed about
establishing a rehabilitation centre. I really got good helping hands and now the dream
has come true," he said, talking to The Kathamndu Post.
Dixit added that the
centre needs around four million to operate but Sangha has only 800,000 in hand but Dixit
hoped to get sufficient donations to run the centre.
Presently an Acute
Spinal Injury Cure Centre is there in Bir Hospital that provides treatment to around 50-60
patients in a year, whereas over 200 people fall into spinal injury in the country.
Dr Upendra Devkota, the
neuro-surgeon said, "Due to lack of space we can’t keep them in the hospital
until they fully recover. In this condition, a rehabilitation centre has become a
must."
He added that
government or private nursing homes have not thought of making such centres as the service
is very costly and most of the victims are from poor family.
Dr Anil Shrestha, the
technical director of the centre said that the centre has now 30 beds and has already
admitted four patients.
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