Physiotherapy Children Program (PCP)
There is no comprehensive data on disability in Nepal. Even the number of people with disabilities varies according to sources. Accordance with a latest study 70.1 percentage of the persons with disabilities has stigma and difficulties to live in the community with self-respect. As per the estimation, 7-10 percentage of the total population in Nepal is the people with disabilities in one form or in another way. Rights of all people with disabilities to participate fully in society have not been practised by the state. In terms of health, accessibility, education, economy, and employment opportunities people with disabilities are treated as second-class citizens. Even though all of them have to know that people with disabilities have equal rights and duty as any other normal individual. The Government of Nepal does not set special provisions or considerations for those with disabilities meaning there are no laws or safeguards regarding their rights. Disabled children often face social prejudice and discrimination due to traditional believes and superstitions.
So, Nepal Matri Griha has set up the physiotherapy centre; the centre is well-run by well-qualified Physiotherapists (PTs) including experienced and dedicated Physiotherapist –assistants (PTAs). The organization has organized the necessary equipment for the service of the people; room-space and its committed staffs are the robust sides of the centre. The centre has an orthotic and prosthetic that prepares orthoses or prostheses as required. The centre monitors the children's health and well-being and can provide support and counselling for the children's families and also able to provide wheelchairs, orthotic devices and other aids, as well as home-visits when clients requested. More than thousand such people have already obtained physiotherapy services from the centre. The flow of the needy has been escalating day to day as the centre conducts the awareness-action suggesting people about the advantage of the different method of therapy.
At the centre - PTs and PTAs are treating almost 100 physically disable patients a day and if needed, the centre has freely gifted the aids and appliances. Likewise, the approximately 14 physically disabled patients have received a home visit service, to those who are not capable to reach and it has planned to upgrade its home visit service capacity up to 25.
Most of our children have chronic neurological conditions that can involve a significant amount of both physical and cognitive disorders. In Nepal, many women are unable to access medical check-ups during their pregnancy and various complications may arise. This results in an increasing number of children who are either born with a disability or develop one shortly after birth. It is also important to consider those in poverty, who are unable to care and provide for children with disabilities, particularly in the absence of an effective health care system in Nepal.
Within your first session PTs diagnose your problem, explain your condition to you, treat you with hands-on therapy and provide advice. In subsequent sessions, a short assessment of the progress will be followed by manual and exercise therapy. No doctor’s referral is necessary to see a physiotherapist. The centre can refer to specialists and doctors or for further tests if required. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitators, speech therapists and orthotic-prosthetics are available from 10:00 am to 05:00 pm on all working days. The consultant doctor is available twice a week or if needed. The centre has been granted the out-patient service for to those patients who are unable to hold the given-services in the centre as suffered by chronic-disabilities or far off as of the centre.
PTs and PTAs work together to help the child move and play like- muscle strength and flexibility, balance & coordination and how your child moves around at home, school, or in the community. All treatments are designed to meet a child’s individual needs in a way that emphasizes physical fitness and minimizes injuries and pain. The therapist will set goals for young patients, and work with them to meet predetermined benchmarks with confidence in a safe and supportive environment, to make them and stress-free. As a child’s physical abilities improve, the therapist can modify the equipment, or the overall course of therapy, to further advance a child’s treatment.
The centre services:
Education – The centre has 3 special-classes that provide a warm and loving learning environment for children with disabilities. The centre focuses on vocational training and daily living activities, to make them independent. If a child has good in his/her study, the centre has transferred to him/her to formal school.
Physiotherapy - Each child who has physically challenged that received at least 45 minutes of physiotherapy treatment a day. An individual treatment plan is designed for each child, which is implemented by PTs & PTAs.
Music Therapy- Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, the clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words.
Speech Therapy- Speech therapy is an intervention service that focuses on improving a child's speech and the abilities to understand and express language, including nonverbal language. Speech therapists, or speech and language pathologists, are the professionals who provide these services.
Counselling – The centre provides a counselling service for children and their families to motivate in helping their child to manage their disability.
Home Service – The centre provides home visit service for to those children who are unable to access in the service centre, which may be due to severe disability or transportation issue. Where possible the centre offers the same medical and therapeutic services to them as well.
