Ganga Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (GSIRC) another unit of Ganga Hospital situated at Koundampalayam here has successful rehabilitated 1166 Patients by providing Rs. 6 crores as subsidy for the last five years. During the 5th Annual Day celebration at GSIRC auditorium on 22.12.2019, GSIRC Director Dr. S. Rajasekaran said “Our objective is to provide physical, mental and vocational rehabilitation for victims of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the community with a comprehensive spinal cord injury rehabilitation program”. He said that though India does not have national registry for SCI but conservative estimates put incidence rates for SCI in India at more than 20,000 new cases every year.
Spinal cord injury is a devastating injury for the individual and his/her family. So far the center has treated 1,166 spinal cord injury patients from India and abroad in the last five years with the aim “Dependence to Independence”. The key aspect of the services is that it has catered to patients across all economic and social strata enabling the injured patients to integrate with the society through economically viable options for the family.
The influence of rehabilitation from GSIRC has been phenomenal in the lives of these patients considering that more than 75% of the rehabilitated patients have been young (<40 years), married males with a lot of family responsibility to be taken care of. Such patients are re-integrated into their societal zones by making them independent and vocationally useful too.
Since the treatment mandates domiciliary care over a minimum of 45 to 60-day period, GSIRC strongly believes that cost should not be an inhibiting factor for patients to benefit from the services of GSIRC. With the help of altruistic like-minded philanthropists, . GSIRC was able to significantly subsidize the cost of the treatment.
The major contributors include Ganga Spine Injury Foundation, Rotary Club of Coimbatore Central, Rotary Club Sai City of Coimbatore, GKD Charity trust, and multiple other individual philanthropists as Mr.O.Arumugasamy- Shree Vijayalakshmi charitable trust, Coimbatore, Indrajit Chatterjee – Coonoor , Mr.B.Mahaveer Jain – Apex Roller Flour Mills Pvt., Ltd, Coimbatore.
Hence, what would cost in lakhs of rupees for service provision, GSIRC continues to provide at a highly subsidized rate and in special situations, completely free of cost too. Notably, under global grant, Rs.75,00,000/- worth equipment have been donated by rotary club of Coimbatore central, this has specifically helped more than 400 economically deprived spine-injured persons. Rotary club of Coimbatore Sai City’s has helped nearly 100 patient to have rehabilitation “Free of Cost” by global grand.
The center has benefitted 497 patients (58%) who had a meagre monthly earning less than Rs. 15000 and majority of these were educated only up to the higher secondary level (78%). Almost 80% have been manual labourers and hence were unable to return to their previous job. So, GSIRC through rehabilitating such financially challenged young victims of spinal cord injury has enabled them to achieve social and economic independence.