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Pakistan: caring for patients with spinal cord injuries

17-10-2011 Photo gallery

Without proper treatment, people with spinal cord injuries undergo needless suffering and often experience exclusion, poor nutrition and inadequate housing. Physical rehabilitation centres therefore play a vital role. The ICRC initially founded the Paraplegic Centre Hayatabad (PCH) in 1983 to treat people wounded during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. There were no such centres in South Asia at the time, and the number of patients with conflict-related spinal cord injuries was increasing. As time went on, the Centre started to admit Pakistani patients as well as Afghanis. The Centre is currently run by the Pakistani Ministry of Health, with financial and practical assistance from the ICRC.

    • © ICRC / A. Yusufzai

    Around 25% of patients are women who have sustained spinal cord injuries from bullets and in accidents. As well as receiving treatment for their injuries, they take courses in such skills as cooking and the manufacture of decorative items.

    • © ICRC / A. Yusufzai

    This cushion cover was made by one of the women at the Centre.

    • © ICRC / A. Yusufzai / v-p-pk-e-1253

    As well as being fun, sport encourages patients to move and has therapeutic value. These specially-designed wheelchairs allow patients to play games such as basketball. In 2011, the ICRC provided ten of these wheelchairs to the Centre. The organization has also agreed to provide between 200 and 300 general-purpose wheelchairs each year, for patients to take home when they leave.

    • © ICRC / A. Yusufzai

    The Centre's workshop produces devices to support parts of the body and to help people move around. The ICRC will be providing its experience and technology to help the workshop produce modern, quality products.

    • © ICRC / A. Yusufzai / v-p-pk-e-01254

    Muhammad Raziq fractured his spine in a fall two years ago. He has been at the Centre since September 2011 and is delighted with the service he is receiving. "I did have surgery two years ago, but even after that I still couldn't move. So I decided to come to the PCH after hearing about it on the radio. They're giving me free treatment, food and accommodation."

  • Muhammad is being treated by Dr Ainy. "We often receive patients who can't move at all," he explains. "They are extremely depressed, with little or no hope of living a normal life again. After a few weeks of treatment, they leave the Centre with a walking aid or a wheelchair. They gradually regain their confidence and resume normal activities as far as possible."

  • PCH continues to care for patients after they leave, conducting monthly follow-up visits for up to six months. PCH staff travel extensively to see how their patients are progressing. In September, the ICRC donated a vehicle to the Centre to speed up this crucial follow-up work.


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