SA amputee flown to India for prosthesis from benefactor
INDIAN philanthropist Shree Kanubhai Tailor, an activist for the disabled, has lived up to his promise and taken his first disabled beneficiary to India for free treatment.
Earlier this year, Tailor announced that he was putting together an initiative, #OperationRehab, to assist disabled people in South Africa to access free specialist medical care and necessary aids from India at no cost to them.
True to his word, Tailor this week started to fulfill this promise, publicised in May, to assist disabled South Africans and flew the first beneficiary to India.
Sharad Narsai, 55, who lost his leg five years ago from diabetes complications, left for Surat in India this week to become the first South African to benefit from a joint project by India’s Disabled Welfare Trust and #OperationRehab South Africa.
Narsai, accompanied by his brother Pradeep Narsai, travelled to the Disable Welfare Trust’s specialised treatment and rehabilitation facility in India to be fitted with a new prosthetic leg.
During their 25-day stay in India, Narsai will also be given rehabilitation and treatment to ensure he’s able to use the new prosthesis properly.
Describing the opportunity as a blessing, Narsai said he’s delighted to be the first patient selected for the programme, which is designed to revolutionise medical care and rehabilitation for disabled South Africans.
Amputees need their prosthetic limbs refitted and replaced every two to four years to ensure proper fit because the remaining part of the amputated limb shrinks.
Narsai has been unemployed since his limb was amputated, and without medical aid the cost of a new prosthesis was prohibitive.
He said the costs associated with disability extend far beyond medical treatment and prosthetics.
“Becoming disabled is a massive adjustment for the patient and their entire family,” said Narsai.
“Your whole life changes, huge costs must be dealt with, the home must be fitted with assistive devices, and psychological counselling and physiotherapy are crucial. For most people with limited resources, dealing with disability becomes almost impossible.”
Before he left for India on Tuesday Narsai was optimistic about the outcomes of his trip to India,
As the first #OperationRehab beneficiary, he will pave the way for potentially hundreds of underprivileged disabled adults and children who may be flown to India for treatment in future.
#OperationRehab is an initiative catalysed by an offer of support from Indian philanthropist and philanthropist Tailor, the founder of the Disable Welfare Trust of India.
The project aims to fly disabled South Africans to India for treatment and to establish comprehensive treatment. It also aims to create rehabilitation centres for disabled people in South Africa.
Speaking from India by telephone on Friday, Narsai said he welcomes the plan because facilities for the effective treatment and rehabilitation of patients with disabilities were “severely lacking” in South Africa and beyond the reach of many of those in need.
He said it was ironic that while disabled parking is available, and companies strive to employ the disabled, basic medical care for the disabled still falls short.
“Under-privileged patients cannot access the post-operative physio and psychological counselling they need,” lamented Narsai.
The cheapest wheelchair costs in the region of R600, which many disabled people cannot afford.
Prosthetic legs cost around R150 000 each – it costs R62 000 to replace the socket, which must be done every two to four years.
Without support from families or the community, hundreds of thousands of disabled people simply cannot get the treatment and mobility devices they need.
According to StatsSA’s 2014 Profile of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa Report, 2.9 million people in this country are living with disabilities.
Dharmesh Nagar, Strategy Director of marketing agency Media Revolution and South African co-ordinator of #OperationRehab said: “We believe potentially hundreds of thousands of them do not have the resources to access proper medical treatment and rehabilitation.
“#OperationRehab was first proposed early this year to offer free or low-cost treatment, but there have been unfortunate delays in securing official approval of the project. With Mr Narsai’s treatment, we’re making the first concrete moves toward bringing the project to fruition.”
The Disable Welfare Trust offers free medical treatment, rehabilitation and vocational training to hundreds of underprivileged children in India.
The trust has so far treated and educated more than 4 000 children in India. Many of them have gone on to advanced tertiary education and successful careers.