RIHFW Kashmir

National Programme on Orientation of Medical Officers Working in PHC's to Disability Management

Master Trainers Course

Programme Curriculum)

Day I:

• Registration / Introduction / Inauguration
• Disability, handicap and Rehabilitation
• Brief history of PMR services in India/ Goals and Objectives of PMR/ Rehabilitation approaches with special emphasis on CBR
• Laws related to disability; concessions provided by the Central and State governments to people with disability. Institutional organizations working in the field of disability welfare including referral institutes.
• Definition, causes, prevention and early detection of locomotor disability; orthosis, prosthesis and other ambulatory aids in rehabilitation management of people with locomotor disability.
• Problems encountered by people with locomotor disability and principles of disability management.

Day II:

• Definition, classification and identification of mental retardation; causes and prevention of mental retardation
• Assessment, educational intervention and management of mental retardation
• Films on mental retardation
• Parental counselling and guidance in mental retardation
• Definition, types, causes and prevention of hearing impaired
• Language and speech development; factors influencing development of speech in a child with and without hearing impairment
• Early detection, early intervention and rehabilitation management in hearing impaired and speech impaired

Day III

• Definition, prevalence, causes and prevention of visual impairment
• Identification, early detection of visual impairment and early referral
• Education, orientation and mobility training to visually- impaired
• Psychosocial issues relating to visual impairment; vocational training and employment of visually- impaired and use of technology
• Welfare schemes for rehabilitation of physically handicapped persons.
• Panel discussion: Orienting medical officers in PHC's to disability management
• Post-programme evaluation

Day IV: Field visits to orthotic and prosthetic centre ( Bone and Joint Hospital, Srinagar), to Abhinandan Home for the Disabled children, and to the Govt Psychiatric Diseases Hospital Srinagar.

Regular visits of participants to the Composite Regional Centre for the Disabled Persons, established at Bemina Srinagar by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, are ensured to acquaint them to practical help that can be provided to the handicapped if they are referred to an appropriate centre in time.

Till date, 537 doctors have been oriented to different aspects of disability management in the periphery. Studies are in hand to assess the actual prevalence and distribution of disability among our populations. The National Statistics gives an estimate of 10%, the chief etiological factors being communicable diseases, malnutrition, low quality of perinatal care and accidents, in that order. It does not include the disability attributable to militancy-related activities which might have tripled, even quadrupled, the prevalence in the strife-torn districts. Such districts would need training and orientation of all doctors, working in government-run and charitable institutions to tackle the colossal burden of disability in Kashmir. Though initially only PHC doctors were envisaged to be oriented, in 2002 the Rehabilitation Council of India has decided to train all the doctors in a district.

Table: District-wise Doctors Trained in Disability Management

In addition to the photocopied resource material the participants are provided a beautifully produced manual published by the Rehabilitation of India which has discussed management of four designated disabilities: locomotor disability; speech and hearing impairment; visual impairment ; and mental retardation.

Training schedule for 'Orientation of Medical Officers Working in Primary Health Centers to Disability Management': (PHC doctors course)

Day I

• Registration and Inauguration.
• Disability, Handicap and Rehabilitation.
• Definition, causes, prevention and early detection of locomotor disability.
• Orthosis, prosthesis and other ambulatory aids in rehabilitation management of people with locomotor disability.
• Definition, prevalence, causes and prevention of visual impairment.
• Early detection and early referral in visual impairment; education and mobility training to visually impaired.
• Psychosocial issues related to visual impairment, vocational training, and employment of visually impaired, and use of technology.

Day II

• Definition, classification and identification of mental retardation; causes and prevention of mental retardation.
• Assessment, educational intervention and management of mental retardation.
• Parental counselling and guidance in mental retardation.
• Definition, types, causes and prevention of hearing impairment.
• Early identification and early intervention in hearing and speech impaired (including diagnostic tests and aids).
• Education, integration and vocational rehabilitation of hearing and speech impaired.

Day III

• Psychosocial issues related to various disabilities; Principles of Rehabilitation Management.
• Laws related to disability; concessions provided by the Central and State government (J. and K.) to people with disability.
• Community-based Rehabilitation: Principles, approaches and strategies.
• Integration of disability management with primary health care. Role of MOs and paramedics. Orientation in early detection and early referral.
• Field visits:

  i) The Orthotic and Prosthetic Centre of Bone and Joint Hospital, Srinagar.

  ii) Mental Retardation Unit ( Psychiatric Disease Hospital, Srinagar).

  iii) Composite Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled Persons, Srinagar.