Member Section
(currently open access) |
|
|
 Please visit CambodiaCan: This project will be highlighted in the upcoming IHD newsletter 'Dispatches' |
|
|
|
|
|
PT and OT team in post earthquake Pakistan |
|
|
|
|
Monday, 16 July 2007 |
Pakistan: Canadian volunteers provide treatment to earthquake survivors
By Geneviève Angers In January 2006, a group of physical therapists flew to Pakistan to offer rehabilitation treatment to villagers injured in the massive October earthquake. The team consisted of three occupational therapists from the Trillium Health Center (Mississauga, Ontario)—Sarah Maraone, Kristin Parkinson and Joan Shaw—and one physiotherapist, Robert Balogh, pursuing his PhD at University of Toronto in the Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science. Their three-week long adventure in Pakistan was part of a project with the Canadian Relief Foundation (www.canadianrelief.ca).
Resources to treat patients with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are lacking and the situation is tragic: “Individual stories are different, but each patient pretty much had a building fall on top of them on the day of the earthquake. It killed family members, and in some cases resulted in spinal cord injuries,” explains Robert Balogh.
At Holy Family Hospital of Rawalpindi, where the Canadian team devoted most of its energies, Dr.Jawad Chishtie explains: “Following the earthquake, patients with spinal cord injuries were scattered all over the hospital and were not getting proper diagnosis or treatment. Many were suffering from bed sores. Now that they are all in the same ward, it is easier to treat them. We deeply appreciate the help that we can get from qualified volunteers.” Dr. Jawad Chishtie is the director of an NGO (http://www.greenpakistan.org/index.html)
from Pakistan that helped to coordinate the Canadians' activities.
';">
For the Canadian therapists, it was a challenge to be immersed in such a different culture. “We asked a lot of questions to local staff to know what was acceptable, and what wasn’t,” says Kristin Parkinson. “We got a lot of stares at the beginning, but overall, the patients and their families were very receptive,” she adds. Sarah Maraone agrees: “Perhaps we had some misconceptions because we found most people to be more open than expected, and we were impressed by the great deal of family support that the injured were receiving…”
Providing treatment beyond Canadian borders
Clinically speaking, the Pakistani patients had a lot in common with the ones that therapists would see in Canada. They are suddenly finding themselves with a life-altering injury which has major consequences on the way they will live in the future. But in Canada, with special rehabilitation centers, sufficient resources and proper equipment, patients become independent much faster. Many Canadians with spinal cord injuries can eventually live by themselves.
In Pakistan, as in most developing countries, the structure of rehabilitation is nothing like it is in the Western world. Michel Landry, president elect of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association is convinced that Canadians can play an important role: “The creation of the International Health Division is a prime example of the increasing commitment of Canadian physical therapists on the international scene. But disability issues need to become further integrated in disaster response strategies. It would be helpful to see more funding to help out in initiatives like the one that is now organized in Pakistan.”
The Canadian media often brings stories of doctors, nurses and paramedics who are going abroad to help in disasters such as the Pakistan earthquake. “Of course, these medical teams are crucial since they are focusing on saving people’s lives”, says Michel Landry. “The role of rehabilitation, however, is to help these people to get back to their life. This aspect is very important, but it is too often forgotten.”
Recently, the Physiotherapy Foundation of Canada has given funding to IHD in order to further study the role of physical therapists in the global arena.
Regardless of the nature of the disaster (armed conflict, natural events, infectious pandemics and/or poverty), a lot can be done for the affected population. “The spinal cord injuries that we treated were quite extreme, but there are so many other people who were hurt in the earthquake and who would also need rehab treatments,” says Robert Balogh.
Sustainable benefits
Can such initiatives bring sustainable benefits? Robert and his colleagues strongly believe that it can. “Pakistani physiotherapists are well-educated, but the hands-on part wasn’t what it is in Canada,” he says. “Perhaps cultural sensitivities have made the physical aspect of their practice more challenging at times.” The team had regular debriefing and training sessions with the local physiotherapists. “They were quite open, says Joan Shaw, and I think we may have influenced a bit the way they will work in the future.”
But the Canadians feel that they also learned a great deal from this unusual experience. “It does stretch your practice, being in such a different environment…” adds Joan Shaw. For physiotherapist Robert Balogh, already a seasoned traveler, working closely with his teammates was a wonderful experience: “I felt that we could really fill each others’ gaps. While I was focused on the body, the occupational therapists kept thinking of the patient’s daily activities, making constant connections between movements and daily life. Good physiotherapists think that way too, but often we tend to forget the real-life challenges.”
Would the team volunteer again? Robert sums it up well: “Once you’ve got the international bug, it’s hard to resist the idea of going places where you can make such a difference.”
From three-year old Anusha who became a paraplegic, to Baba who, at 75, was the ward’s oldest patient, progress was crystal clear. “It was wonderful to see patients suddenly able to get out of bed and spend time with their families outside of the hospital ward. This experience has been amazing for me,” says Sarah Maraone. |
|
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 July 2007 )
|
|
|
|
