| A disproportionate number
of Nepalis suffer injuries of the spine resulting from falls.
Accidents occur with unreported regularity among the population,
with porters slipping off precipitous trails, and women and
children, in particular, falling while collecting tree fodder
or following livestock on cliffs. With the spread of the road
network, there has been a sharp increase to the spinal trauma
from highway accidents.
Injury to the spinal column is one of the most grievous kinds of bodily damage.
It affects the use of limbs and other organs, and drastically
reduces the quality of life of the victims. It tends to leave
the injured and their families in deep despair. The kind of
understanding, care and long-term support required by the
victims is not readily available in a country as burdened
with public health and medical challenges as Nepal.
The scale of these challenges relating to grievous and often-irreversible
injuries often leads to a fatalistic attitude among families
and caregivers alike. On humanitarian and practical grounds,
it is necessary to reject this attitude, and to concentrate
on improving the quality of life of those who have suffered
life-changing spinal injuries. |
