Keonjhar Admin’s Advanced Rehabilitation Centre to Improve Quality of Life of PwDs

Keonjhar: Odisha DMF guidelines mandates for the ‘welfare of aged and disabled people’ and following this the Keonjhar District Administration has endeavored to ensure that vulnerable patients with functional limitation, elderly, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and Children with Disabilities (CwDs) have access to high end rehabilitation technology for fostering early recovery, improvement in quality of life and enhanced independence in ‘Activities of Daily Living (ADL)’.

Similar to the ARC set-up by Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department (SSEPD), Government of Odisha in Capitol Hospital Bhubaneswar, the District Administration has established an ARC at Ranki, Keonjhar which was recently inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on November 18, 2021.

The ARC has been setup at a cost of around Rs13 crore and an amount of around Rs 17.8 crore will be utilized for operations of the ARC for the next five years through funds available under DMF Keonjhar.

As per available census figures, a total of 19,135 pwDs, including 12,388 pwDs (who receive pension) and 1,318 CwDs have been identified in Keonjhar. The ARC is expected to benefit around 8000 beneficiaries from Keonjhar and other neighbouring districts having musculoskeletal and neuromotor disability.

The ARC is equipped with world-class cutting-edge technology equipment’s namely 1) Fully motorized and ergonomically designed 3D robotic arm for upper limb therapy 2) Robot assisted rehabilitation gait training exerciser for lower limb therapy 3) CAD/CAM machine for designing and manufacturing artificial limbs.

The ARC also provides an electric and motorized wheelchair which has an ergonomically designed control system to assist and enhance the mobility of the selected patients.

The ARC is manned by a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare professionals such as Medicine Specialists, Physiotherapists/Occupational Therapists, Orthotics and Prosthetic Technicians under the able management of a Centre ln-charge.

Today on ‘World Disability Day’, a district level event was organized at ARC, Ranki, Keonjhar wherein Motorized Electric Wheelchairs, Artificial Limbs and Prosthesis were distributed by Collector & District Magistrate cum Managing Trustee, DMF Keonjhar in presence of PD-DRDA cum CEO DMF Keonjhar; Chief District Medical &Public Health Officer (CDM & PHO), Keonjhar; District Social Security Officer (DSSO), Keonjhar and other district officials.

The ARC is setup with an objective to assist patients and beneficiaries who are “Amputees, Patients with Joint injuries, Undergone Joint Replacement Surgeries, Muscular Dystrophy, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Accidental injuries, Traumatic Conditions, Fractures, stroke /Cerebrovascular injury, Spinal Cord injury Traumatic Brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Disorders, Bone related Disorders” etc.
District Administration Keonjhar through ARC aims to provide the best-in-class services for rehabilitation of Pwds, CwDs, vulnerable patients and elderly people. And as announced earlier in 2021″, commissioning of the Integrated Disability Rehabilitation Centre (IDRC) Ranki in Keonjhar with Centre of Excellence (COE) in fields of holistic rehabilitation, provision of quality of life and degree courses in rehabilitation sciences will go a long way to provide world class facilities for betterment of lives of people in Keonjhar.