Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

One of AMDA reconstruction activities is related to physical rehabilitation services led by AMDA physical therapist (PT) who have participated in AMDA’s emergency relief activities for Nepal Earthquake. AMDA supported “Wheelchair Manufacturing Training” hosted by Nepal government from July 28th to 30th, 2015 by dispatching AMDA PT and providing wheelchair materials.
 

Emergency Relief of Rehabilitation Services

The Nepal Earthquake made many people suffer from external injuries - fractures, peroneal nerve paralysis, amputations. After their operation, they needed to have postoperative rehabilitation. However, not enough physical therapists were available. Thus, AMDA decided to dispatch a Japanese physical therapist residing in Nepal. He provided physical therapy to the postoperative patients from May 9th to 25th based in Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Besides that, AMDA medical team also visited evacuation centers for people with disabilities and gave them advice on their health and distributed relief goods.
 

Support for “Wheelchair Manufacturing Training”

Even after three months passed since the devastating earthquake, a lot of people in Nepal still need the support in order to recover. Especially, people who newly became disabled due to the earthquake have no place to go after their discharge from hospitals. This means people with disability needs to be prepared to go back home directly after their discharge by providing them medical supportive equipment such as wheelchairs.
In response to this situation, AMDA dispatched AMDA Japanese Physical Therapist to “Wheelchair Manufacturing Training” session hosted by Nepal government from July 28th to 30th in Kathmandu University. Many people participated in this session such as students from Kathmandu University, mechanical craftsmen, representatives from organizations of people with disabilities, staff from wheelchair repair service department at Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center. 

 

In the session, AMDA Physical Therapist with a technical staff from Pakistan and other staff taught participants how to adjust wheelchairs to patients as well as how to repair them and the participants could practice to manufacture a wheelchair. As the session progresses, they could manufacture and adjust wheelchairs in a way suitable to the local circumstances. As their motivations were really high, some of them said “Can’t we stay longer to do more?” and others said “We want to do more on weekends.” 

In addition to the dispatch of AMDA Physical therapist, AMDA supported Independent Living Center for People with Disabilities (CIL) Kathmandu by providing materials to build wheelchairs after their training session. 

AMDA will continue to pay close attention to the situation and to support them accordingly.