Ogun government has encouraged people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) not to see their present condition as the end of life, as they can still be successful and achieve a lot in life.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Funmi Efuwape, said this in Abeokuta on Friday at the commemoration of the 2021 Spinal Cord Injury Day.
The programme has, as its theme: “COVID-19 and SCI: Staying healthy with the help of telecommunication and tele-health.”
Efuwape, represented by Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs, Mrs Adihat Oladapo-Olaleye, said that the essence of the day was to recognise and celebrate some important facts about lives of people living with spinal cord injury.
According her, COVID-19 has been a major concern affecting the lives of millions of people around the world and posing challenges to health care, particularly on people living with spinal cord injury.
“Despite the common misconceptions, surviving spinal cord injury does not necessarily mean the end of life, as one can still achieve a lot and be celebrated,” she said.
Speaking on the theme, the commissioner contended that spinal injury was distressing at any age of life stage and could lead to losing one’s independence and reasons for staying alive.
She stressed the need for adoption of telecommunication and tele-health as an effective way of facilitating optimal health service delivery to minimise the hazard of direct person-to-person exposure to COVID-19.
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In his lecture, an Orthopedist from the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Dr. Kunle Ashimi, said that the essence of the theme was to enlighten people with spinal cord injury on the various ways they could use their phones to make life comfortable for themselves.
He highlighted three areas their phones could be used for their conveniences as teaching, exercise and communication.
“Your phones can be used for tele-health, where you can book appointments with your health care providers and through communication, your loved ones can call to give words of advice, among other things,” he said.
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Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, Mr. Ayo Awobona, the Chairman, Spinal Cord Injury Association of Nigeria, Ogun chapter, appreciated the state government for the empowerment tools given to them, promising that they would make good use of them.
The empowerment tools, such as wheel chairs, chest freezers, grinding machines, gas burners, gas cylinders and food items, among others, were distributed at the event. (NAN)
