India's First Therapy Van Helped Disabled Kids During Lockdown
India's first mobile therapy van called “Therapy on Wheels” programme was launched by the Samphia Foundation in Himachal Pradesh for providing therapy to disabled kids.
Dr Shruti More, the founder of Samphia Foundation said that in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, there are close to 1,700 children with developmental disabilities. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown these children, who were attending therapy sessions, found themselves in a tight spot (difficult). With each passing week of no intervention and therapy, families found that the children were lapsing into their pre-therapy routine.
On 3 December 2020 a Therapy on Wheels programme was launched by the Samphia Foundation in Himachal Pradesh. It is India’s first mobile van therapy unit. Designed keeping in mind the needs of children with disabilities, the van has a ramp, and is fully equipped with all aids, such as exercise balls, therapy toys, and orthosis. Therapy services are provided to children as young as 14 months. Since its launch in December 2020, more than 80 children and a few adults have benefitted from this initiative. The mobile van currently goes to Kullu, Manali, and Manikaran. The van has been designed in a way that very little space was occupied, and upto three children could be in the van at one time.
Dr Rekha Thakur, Physiotherapist at Therapy on Wheels said, “With parents not being able to bring their children to our centers for regular sessions, we were noticing that even those who had made tremendous progress were showing signs of regression. Parents sometimes had been worried about bringing their children to therapy. Now, since we are going from house to house, the fear amongst parents has drastically reduced. These are long-term therapies that need to be constant. Missing a session can be detrimental.”
Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) sponsored an air-conditioned mobile medical van.
