10 Feb 2014

The Ministry of Health does not have any plans of doing away with the manual wheel chair and replacing them with electronic ones, Parliament has been told.

Responding to a parliamentary question, the Minister of Health, Dr John Seakgosing said prior to issuing any individual with either an electronic or non-electronic wheel chair, all prospective candidates had to undergo a thorough physical assessment.

Minister Seakgosing said the assessment allowed the assessor to identify the wheelchair needs, benefit, and type that would be appropriate to the client.

In this way, the minister said, each chair would meet an individual user’s needs, environmental conditions; provide postural support, safety and durability.

“An electronic wheelchair is issued to clients who cannot effectively use both arms and legs that it can help them move around and it is highly not recommended for someone who can use his arms as it can cause more harm than good for such a person”, he said.

He explained that propelling a wheel chair strengthens the upper limb of an individual and is very beneficial for an individual that has lower limb paralysis as it strengthens their upper limbs. Parliament heard that motorised wheelchairs are not, in certain parts of the country, suitable for some terrain, hence preference for other types of appropriate wheelchairs.

Dr Seakgosing was responding to a question from the MP for Shoshong, Mr Phillip Makgalemele who had asked the minister whether non – electronic wheelchairs give a sense of dignity and independence to people living with disability.

He also wanted to know whether the minister would consider doing away with the common hand propelled wheelchairs and replace them with electronic wheelchairs as per the recommended national standards. Ends