WHEELCHAIR USERS MUST CONSIDER THE COSTS, DOCTOR SAYS
▶ Health ministry spends millions on chairs but some patients demand the priciest models regardless of need
Doctors in the UAE say some patients need to be more realistic about wheelchairs, and should stop demanding the latest, most expensive models.
With the price of some wheelchairs running to hundreds of thousands of dirhams, medics have asked users to be more aware of the costs involved.
Under the country’s insurance system, wheelchairs are issued to those who require them, free of charge. But some patients have developed expensive tastes.
“Patients assume that wheelchairs are like new cars,” said Dr Rida Baruni from Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi.
Although exact figures are unavailable, it is understood the Ministry of Health and Prevention spends millions of dirhams each year on patients with disabilities.
The authorities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have worked hard to improve public access for wheelchair users.
Under Thiqa, the UAE’s national health insurance programme for Emiratis, wheelchair users can have their equipment paid for.
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City said it issues up to 50 new wheelchairs and 15 prosthetic limbs a month. In some cases, the wheelchairs cost more than Dh100,000 each.
Speaking to The National,
Dr Baruni, chairman of the department for physical medicine and rehabilitation at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said he wanted some patients to be more aware of the cost of their wheelchairs.
He said the equipment could only be issued once medics had identified the best possible model for the patient’s needs.
“What I say to my team is ‘please remind patients that when you go to see a cardiologist and they give you a prescription, you don’t debate what medication you want or what dose’.
“It is exactly the same case here. It’s not about giving the patient any device, it’s about knowing what their needs are clinically and how they will be able to use it.
“It also depends on the age and lifestyle of the patient. If he needs a wheelchair to go to and from the mosque then they don’t need something as sophisticated as a patient who, for instance, wants to play volleyball.
“So the assessment is also about whether the patient has the cognitive ability and insight to operate such a device, be it a machine or an artificial leg.
“We go into a lot of details and this is why I emphasise the point that this is a medical prescription.
“If we are talking about a basic wheelchair the cost could be about Dh5,000, but a more sophisticated, customised wheelchair could cost more than Dh100,000.
“It is a very dynamic process that involves a lot of clinical knowledge, background and ability to communicate well with clients.”
Dr Baruni revealed that staff at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City see hundreds of patients every month who need the specialist equipment to help them with their mobility.
Many suffer from diabetes, with research published this year suggesting that nearly one in five people living in the UAE have the condition.
“But we see a variety of patients including those with spinal cord injuries, genetic diseases, multiple sclerosis and so on,” Dr Baruni said.
“The government is very generous in making these devices readily available to the people. Durable medical equipment and rehab technology is very expensive and adds to the huge costs of health care.”
But some patients say that despite putting in requests for wheelchairs, they often have to wait months for their devices to be supplied.
Reem, 24, is an Emirati student with spina bifida, a condition of the spine that means she is unable to move her legs.
“Waiting for a year for a wheelchair was a nightmare,” she said. “But while I’m grateful that I have one now, it is too bulky and heavy. I need a lighter one to fold up into the car and reassemble.”
Although Emirati insurance covers wheelchairs, and citizens are eligible to replace them every two to three years, wheelchair lifts and boot hoists are not covered.
“It is very difficult to carry it in and out of the car. My parents have to carry me first and then the wheelchair,” Reem said.
Musaed Al Mansoori, 25, who was paralysed from the waist down with polio, expects a new model next month. He said his three-year-old chair is now worn out.
“I don’t care about it being electric or the latest model. My wheelchair is a basic, manual one and it is perfect because it is light and small so I can fit it in my car.
“It is hard to fit an electric wheelchair in a small car.”
Dr Baruni told The National that services had improved: “We dealt with that and haven’t had complaints about time of delivery as of late because we have worked hard and refined our processes and worked with our approved vendors.”
“We spoke to these vendors and told them that we could not have a waiting time of six months or even three months,” Dr Baruni said.
“We used to get several complaints per week and now we don’t get that. Most of the complaints we get now are from patients demanding a certain colour or specifications.”
There is currently no effective way for people to recycle wheelchairs they no longer use.
“We ask our patients to donate them and in some instances people will just drop it off at the hospital, but we don’t encourage that because it causes a problem with storage,” Dr Baruni said.
It is not about giving the patient any device, it is about knowing what their needs are clinically DR RIDA BARUNI Sheikh Khalifa Medical City