Medical Equipment
The need for wheelchairs in our world is staggering. In developing nations, the World Health Organization estimates that 75 million people are in dire need of a wheelchair that lacks the resources to obtain one. Many are forced to live on the ground or to wait to be carried. Disease, malnutrition, armed conflict, and lack of proper medical care are all major causes of disability in the developing world. At least seven million people with disabilities are forced to stay home as they do not have access to wheelchairs in Pakistan.
The challenges
- At Least 7 million people in Pakistan have a disability
- The percentage of disabled is highest in the age group 10-19 years old
- Nearly 70% of disabled people live in rural areas
Pakistan population growth is soaring, but so is inequality: a staggering almost 56% are unable to meet their basic needs. Disabled people often face the biggest challenges.
Stigma and discrimination around disable persons are rife. Disabled people are often excluded by their families, friendship groups, and wider communities. They are treated unfairly by prospective employers or aren’t given jobs at all.
Unable to access healthcare and prone to health complications that could be easily cured conditions like pressure ulcers, respiratory problems and bladder infections can become life-threatening for them.
Without mobility, a support network, good health, or the opportunity to earn an income, disabled people are often left isolated and vulnerable to poverty.
With an aim to provide a free wheelchair to every handicap in Pakistan, the Community Services Program of SBM Educational Trust implementing partner of WAVE Australia is collaborating with different local and international donors for the distribution of free wheelchairs/other medical equipment.
We’re working with local partners – including Provincial governments – to improve the equipment’s and services available for good wheelchair provision and other medical equipment’s.
- SBM Provided 51 wheels chair and 2 tricycles at medical complex Mardan KPK with the financial help of WAVE Australia.
- Distributed 17 wheelchairs in different area of Punjab and Sindh as per the requirement of beneficiaries.
- Distributed 10 Wheelchairs to the participants of Disability Awareness seminar / medical camp organized by the Director General of Special Education (Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment of disable persons) in Islamabad (Ghauri town).
