People with Spinal Cord Injuries hold a 5-day workshop in Zimbabwe

People with disabilities (Spinal Cord Injuries) held a five day national workshop for trainers from August 23 – 27 2004 at Ruwa National Rehabilitation Centre near the capital Harare . The aim was to physically empower newly injured people in hospitals and rehabilitation centres with information on how to manage their conditions after injuries.

Research has revealed that if newly injured people are given adequate information about their conditions early, and from people in similar situations, it would reduce the period of time spent in hospital and rehabilitation centres and will save on resources of the patient and government point of view. Another research also revealed that in under developed countries, people with spinal cord injuries die within two years after their injuries due to lack of information and poverty. In developed countries, People with spinal cord injuries live normal life as their able-bodied counterparts.

The current situation was that an injured person could spend at most three years in hospital and at a rehabilitation centre before being discharged. When discharged from hospital, some go back home in wheel borrows as they can not afford to purchase wheelchairs where this is one’s human right for mobility.

Due to lack of information on the management of spinal cord injuries, newly injured people were spending more time in hospitals mourning about their conditions resulting in them developing pressures sore due to depression.

It takes more than six months for pressure sores to heal before one begins rehabilitation activities. It is felt that if one accepts his/her condition and have adequate information, would be admitted in hospital for less than a month and spend at more three months at a rehabilitation centre.

Over 30 participants drawn from all the country’s ten provinces and patients at the Ruwa National Rehabilitation Centre attended the workshop organised by the Disabled Women Support Organisation (DWSO). DWSO’s thrust is to physically and economically empower women and girls with disabilities. Both men and women attended this workshop.

The trainers were tasked to go back to their respective provinces and impart the knowledge to newly injured on their respective provincial hospitals on voluntary basis. It is the of DWSO to have trainers at district hospitals if it got funding for such training.

At the workshop, the government responded positively, as three top government officials graced the organisation. The government agreed to work together with DWSO to improve the welfare of people with spinal cord injuries.

Currently there is no cure for spinal cord injury, therefore DWSO is requesting all governments world over to work with people with spinal cord injuries so that their lives could be improved and live longer as their able-bodied counterparts.

Produced by

Gladys Charowa
DWSO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR