KATHMANDU, Jan 20: First they decide to open. And before they open they decide to shut down. Due to the apathy of the authorities concerned, the decision to provide rehabilitation services to those critically injured in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake of April 25 has remained stuck at the concept paper stage.
Hundreds of people who were critically injured in the devastating quake and are in critical need of rehab services are now feeling left in the lurch and ignored by the government.
Thousands were critically injured in the quake, which killed some 9,000 people and destroyed over 700,000 houses. Hundreds have sustained spinal injuries. Out of the total injured, several hundred need rehabilitation services, a report prepared by the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has stated.
"We have aborted the plan to open rehab centers for those injured in the devastating earthquake," Dr Guna Raj Lohani, an official at MoHP, said. He informed that government officials had not found critically injured people who were willing to stay in the rehab centers. The injured do not like to stay in the rehab centers. They prefer to live with their families," claimed Dr Lohani.
However, some officials at MoHP claimed that the officials concerned were not interested in the plight of the injured.
"The fact is they have no interest in the plight of the quake victims," an official said on condition of anonymity. "Instead of treatment and care, they spent money teaching balloon blowing techniques to local health workers," he said, referring to a technique used for the treatment of chest patients.
The source also said that the local health workers who received the balloon blowing training are asked to teach the techniques to quake victims who do visited the health facilities. "Why would seriously injured victims reach the health facilities to learn balloon blowing," asked the official.
Hundreds of critically injured needed 24 hour care and medication and dozens even needed assistance to defecate.
MoHP had decided to open half a dozen of rehab centers in quake- hit districts such as Kathmandu, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk and Gorkha.
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