In September we visited two hospitals in Nepal to encourage local production of wheelchairs, walkers and other physio aids. Most mobility aids have had to be imported from India and China up to now at prohibitive costs for most disabled people (approximately $160US each).

Each equipment's design needs to be tough for the rugged mountainous Himalayan terrain. Getting people up onto their feet is a priority when so much of village life depends on tiny mountain tracks. So walkers, crutches, orthotics and prostheses must be appropriate, well-fitting, and low-cost.

Green Pastures Hospital, which treats leprosy and runs Nepal's communit-based rehabilitation programme, as well as HRDC (Hospital for Rehabilitation of Disabled Children) were keen to make physio aids to complement their artificial limb workshops.

This prototype tricycle, suitable for children and pedalled with both hands, was made from locally available BMX bicycle wheels and steel tubes, and was an improvement of the heavy Indian-made tricycle that is hand-pedalled with just one hand. It costs about $50US in materials.

Most folding wheelchair designs are technically too dificult to produce in such small workshops. Moreover, on rough terrain folding models soon collapse from the strain and end up in the hospital scrap heap. We also looked at the problems of repairing imported equipment with the many different wheel bearings and difficult-to-weld metals.

 

South India (1999 - 2001)