The Wheelchair Service Department at the Spinal Center coordinates the distribution of wheelchairs to all patients who require it. After assessing the patient's physical needs and abilities, the Department determines whether the patient requires a three-wheel or a four-wheel wheelchair. As the majority of patients at the Center cannot afford to purchase wheelchairs on their own, the Center assists them in acquiring one. The funds generated from the sale of any wheelchair are used to provide economically disadvantaged patients with rehabilitation services at the Center.

The Wheelchair Service Department also provides patients with the necessary wheelchair training and education which includes instructions on wheelchair use and maintenance. There is also a specially built obstacle course for wheel chair practice at our facility where patients are taught to propel and handle the wheelchair. This area includes muddy, sandy, hilly and grassy surfaces to provide practice on a variety of terrains. Patients are also instructed on how to manage possible wheelchair problems and how to locate workshops to repair such problems.

The Spinal Center has been fortunate to receive a generous donation of WorldMade three-wheeler wheelchairs with the necessary training from Motivation, a UK-based charity. These three-wheelers are designed particularly for spinal cord injury patients and can be customized according to the individuals size and measurement. The Wheelchair Service Department has been distributing the donating wheelchairs to our patients and also to our partner organizations. All our patients receive their wheel chairs for free or at a nominal cost as per the recommendation of the Social Service Department. As most patients at the Center come from poor economic backgrounds, they receive the wheelchairs free of cost. For other patients, the Centre charges a nominal fee which is less than 4 per cent of the actual cost of the wheelchair. As the sole distributor of the WorldMade wheelchairs, The Center also provides the devices to partner organizations. To date, the Spinal Center has provided wheelchairs to the Green Pasture Hospital in Pokhara and to the International Nepal Fellowship, Surkhet.

Four-wheelers

The Wheelchair Service Department liaises with organizations that donate four-wheeler wheelchairs, so as to ensure all patients are able to obtain a wheelchair regardless of their financial situation. In the past, the Rotary Club of Kathmandu and the National Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled have generously provided four-wheeler wheelchairs to the Centers patients requiring them.