Address at the Society for the Welfare of the Physically Handicapped (Research Centre), Pune

Technology can remove the pain

I am indeed delighted to visit the Society for the Welfare of the Physically Handicapped Research Center at Wanwadi, Pune and interact with you all. My greetings to the team who have worked consistently for the last five decades for providing benefits of healthcare to patients with orthopedic disabilities. I am happy that the society has built up infrastructure for carrying out the rehabilitation surgeries, physiotherapy and workshop for fabricating orthotic and prosthetic aids. I am happy to note that the society is conducting vocational courses for the rehabilitation of the inmates. I would like to discuss on the topic "Technology can remove the pain".

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation process should aim at enabling persons to reach and maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological and social functional level. It has to include measures to provide and restore functions to compensate for the loss or absence of a function. It should include from more basic and general rehabilitation to goal-oriented activities, for instance vocational rehabilitation. Training is an important educational mechanism to remove the disabilities.

Dr Stephen Hawking is one of the most accomplished physicists of our time. This great scholar was affected by motor neuron disease which deteriorated so much that it threatened his research career. His speech became slurry and many people predicted that he will not live to complete his Ph D. His determination and the help that he received from modern technology made sure that he not only lived to complete his Ph.D but also made the most enviable contribution to Physics, the string theory. He is a great living example in radiating the confidence to win in the midst of multiple physical disabilities.

Blossoming of spirit of service

I have experienced that the composite product technologies helped the disabled to have light weight artificial limbs or FROs (Floor Reaction Orthosis) - Calipers at an affordable cost and at one tenth weight in composite material. After the development of FRO, many camps have been conducted for fitting FRO's including Chandipur, Balasore district. I could see the happiness of the recipients in these camps because of the lightness of the FRO. Now I would like to narrate my experience of visiting a FRO Camp at Belgaum for providing rehabilitation to polio affected and special children.

A seven year old boy Master Bhimappa, son of a labourer belonging to Belgaum District, Karnataka studying in primary school had lost both his lower limbs in a road accident. He wrote me a letter seeking help for rehabilitation. Then three of my friends Dr. A.S. Pillai, Dr. L. Narendranath, Shri. Mayank Diwedi, went into action.

Dr. Narendranath, Orthopedic Surgeon, NIMS, Hyderabad examined the boy - diagnosed and prescribed bilateral above knee prosthesis for him. Sthree Sakthi of Lions club of Belgaum came all out to help the boy by taking him to Hyderabad and treatment commenced on fitment and gait training. With this prosthesis fitment, Master Bhimappa walked confidently and was able to negotiate distances comfortably. Based on this experience Dr. Vijayalakshmi, Sthree Sakthi of Lions Club sought help for providing light weight calipers to many polio affected children of Belgaum region. Our team of doctors and engineers went into action. Lions club organized camps to screen the children for fitment trial and over six hundred children were fitted with FROs on 15th October 2004. After this event a big camp was conducted in Loni on 15th October 2005 where thousand children have been rehabilitated. This shows the nobility of heart of all the participants in this mission. I would suggest the members of the Society for the Welfare of the Physically Handicapped to conduct such FROs camps in the rural areas of Pune.

I am confident that the NGOs and Government functionaries in other areas of the country can follow this model for providing relief and rehabilitation to the differently abled children and bring smiles in their faces.

Conclusion

Some time back, the National Institute for Mentally Handicapped, Hyderabad, had conducted a sports meet for all the physically & mentally handicapped children at National Stadium Hyderabad. In one race, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100 mtr race. At the starting signal, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, others except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back......every one of them. One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better" Then all nine linked their arms together and walked together and finally reached the destination. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. I would say that, you do not have to slow down. Rather by helping difficult areas, the feed back will make you go faster. If you pass this on, we may be able to change our hearts as well as someone else's. "A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle".

My best wishes to the members of the Society for the Welfare of Physically Handicapped (Research Center) for success in their mission of providing rehabilitation care to special people in Pune region.

May God bless you.