A Lenasia man will this week become the first South African to benefit from an ambitious plan to airlift disabled South Africans to India for free specialist treatment.
The project aims both to fly South Africans to India for treatment and to establish comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation centres for disabled people in South Africa.
55-year-old Sharad Narsai, who lost his leg five years ago due to diabetes complications, will leave for Surat in India this week to become the first South African to benefit from a joint project by India’s Disable Welfare Trust and #OperationRehab South Africa.
Narsai, accompanied by his brother Pradeep Narsai, will travel to the Disable Welfare Trust’s specialised treatment and rehabilitation facility to be fitted with a new prosthetic leg, which is necessary to ensure ongoing mobility.
During their 25-day stay in India, Narsai will also be given rehabilitation and treatment to ensure he is able to use the new prosthesis properly.
Describing the opportunity as a blessing, Narsai says he is 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 to be refitted and replaced every two to four years to ensure a proper fit as 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 explains that the costs associated with disability extend far beyond medical treatment and prosthetics, however.
“Becoming disabled is a massive adjustment for the patient and their entire family,” he says.
“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.”
Narsai is optimistic about the outcomes of his trip to India.
“I have seen videos about the Disable Trust of India centre, and I have heard great things about the specialists associated with the Trust, so I have great confidence in the doctors and specialists there,” he says.
As the first #OperationRehab beneficiary, he will pave the way for potentially hundreds of under-privileged 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 founder of the Disable Welfare Trust of India, Shree Kanubhai Tailor.
With the support of Indian corporate sponsors and specialists, #OperationRehab is in talks with national and provincial government health departments on replicating the Disable Welfare Trust of India’s highly successful model in South Africa.
Narsai welcomes the plan, saying facilities for the effective treatment and rehabilitation of patients with disabilities are severely lacking in South Africa. He says it is 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, for example. And with the cheapest wheelchair costing in the region of R600, many people cannot afford basic mobility devices.”
“Prosthetic legs cost around R150,000 each, and it costs R62,000 to replace the socket, which must be done every 2 to 4 years. Without support from families or the community, hundreds of thousands of disabled people simply cannot get the treatment and mobility devices they need. There is a serious need in South Africa for a project such as #OperationRehab.”
Dharmesh Nagar, Strategy Director of marketing agency Media Revolution and South African co-ordinator of #OperationRehab, welcomes the first step to the fully-fledged launch of the programme.
“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.”
“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 are making the first concrete moves toward bringing the project to fruition,” he says.
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