Dr Raju Dhakal
Dr Raju Dhakal and his team from the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC) in Nepal received a 2020 SCI Collaboration Grant to attend ISCoS 2020:Virtual. The team comprises:
- Dr Raju Dhakal, Medical Director, SIRC, Nepal
- Dr Ram Prakash Shah, Medical Officer, SIRC, Nepal
- Ms Pratibha Gautam, Nurse in Charge, SIRC, Nepal
- Ms Chanda Rana, Neuro-physiotherapist, SIRC, Nepal
- Ms Deepa Lamichhane, Occupational Therapist, SIRC, Nepal
There is no national census regarding the epidemiology of severe spinal cord injury (SCI) in Nepal but it is estimated there are around 1,500 new spinal injuries every year. After the 2015 earthquake, many people were spinal injured which forced health workers, politicians and the government to think about the needs of the SCI system of care in Nepal. The 51-bed SIRC is a non-profit charitable organisation catering exclusively to the needs of SCI and is the only specialised SCI rehabilitation centre in Nepal.
L-R: Raju Dhakal, Ram Prakash Shah, Pratibha Gautam, Chanda Rana, Deepa Lamichhane
The research group share their experiences from the conference.
Dr Raju Dhakal:
“It was my immense pleasure to attend the first virtual meeting of ISCoS… Overall, this helped to enhance my knowledge, attitude and skills regarding comprehensive management of SCI and also helped to strengthen networking with people who have been involved in the field of SCI care. I had a very nice discussion and got peer support during the COVID outbreak in our Centre from the SRI and ISCoS.”
Dr Ram Prakash Shah:
“It was a wonderful experience to me and for my group to attend the five-day session from home via the virtual platform. The whole conference broadened our knowledge and kept us updated with recent advances and technologies. Each member of our team attended the track of their specialisation and the topics of their interest. Though not being able to meet in person, the virtual conference proved to be a fruitful one.”
Ms Pratibha Gautam, Ms Chanda Rana and Ms Deepa Lamichhane:
“It has long been a dream for many of us to be able to be members of ISCoS and attend the ISCoS conference. This came finally true through the historic ISCos 2020: virtual meeting. It was wonderful to attend the 2020 SRI Collaborations Grantees meet and greet meeting and get to know colleagues from around the world interested and working in the field of spinal cord injury… The multidisciplinary team of Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre is delighted and proud to be members of ISCoS and be a part of this historic event. Thank you so much SRI and ISCoS for providing us the opportunity.”
