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People living with spinal cord injuries in
Sri LankaCyril SiriwardaneMember of Executive CommitteeASCoN (Asian Spinal Cord Network) andSLSCoN (Sri Lanka Spinal Cord Network)Vice President, SIA (Spinal Injuries Association, Sri Lanka)
Prevalence• Approximately 1500 people acquire spinal cord injuries annually
• Main causes are fall from heights and motor traffic accidents
• There were many casualties with SCI both civilian and military during the 30 year war. This is zero since end of the war in 2009
Rehabilitation facilitiesOnly two government hospitals are available with proper rehabilitation facilities for SCI
Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital, Ragama
Rehabilitation Hospital, Digana, Kandy
Three more hospitals (Galle, Jayanthipura and Badulla) are being developed to handle SCI
Medical rehabilitation• Approx. 400 persons of the injured undergo medical treatment and rehabilitation at the existing rehabilitation hospitals
• Balance patients with SCI are admitted to other hospitals which lack facilities to handle SCI especially trained medical staff
• Life expectancy of patients who do not receive proper rehabilitation is 2 to 3 years.
ASCoN(Asian Spinal Cord Network)
• ASCoN annual conference was held in SRI Lanka in 2010. This created much needed awareness especially among the health professionals regarding spinal cord injury.
• A major outcome of the ASCoN conference was SLSCoN (Sri Lanka Spinal Cord Network)
• Initiated by surgeons, physicians and persons with SCI who organized ASCoN
SLSCoN• Active network backed by the Ministry of Health
• Includes all stakeholders • Building a halfway home started for people with SCI to get used to living in a community, before going home after discharge from hospital
• Resource Centre established including a hotline for advice at National hospital in Colombo
• Specialized training for medical professional
Consumer groups• SIA (Spinal Injury Association, Sri Lanka) was started in 1999 by a group with SCI. Activities such as peer group training, active wheelchair skills, follow up of patients discharged from the hospital, SCI news letter etc. were carried out. Due to funding problems very little activities are taking place at present.
SIA Vavuniya• Second consumer group was started in Vavuniya by people with SCI who attended consumer group meeting during ASCoN 2010 in Colombo. Most of these people were injured during the war.
Consumer group activity restrictions
• People with SCI are unable to attend meetings regularly due to unavailability of accessible public transport. Private transport is too costly.
• Limited resources for activities
• People with SCI categorized as Mobility Impaired. Many other needs unnoticed and un‐catered by the government and NGO’s
Peer group training• Very important in motivating people with SCI
• Activities of daily living (ADL) made easy through sharing of experience
• Learning prevention of pressure sores, UTI, etc.
• Wheelchair skills
Peer counseling
• Peer counseling not properly established
• Mr. Shivjeet Singh Raghav conducted few training sessions in Sri Lanka
• SLSCoN planning to establish peer counseling
Assistive devices• Proper wheelchair services not available in Sri Lanka. Motivation UK started a wheelchair service but it reaches very few.
• Other devices for bladder management, prevention of pressure sores are costly and beyond the reach of majority who are poor
• No government subsidy
Community inclusion• After discharge from hospital the people with SCI should be able to return back to community and participate in all activities
• Income generating activities – independence, self esteem, less burden to family and state, contributor to development
Prevention of SCI• SLSCoN is planning to launch an awareness campaign on prevention of SCI especially among school children
• Handling of accident victims during transfer from site of accident to hospital important to prevent SCI
Thank you