New department of rehabilitation medicine started

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Sept 18: zareth Hospital, Shillong has started its new department of rehabilitation medicine recently.

Rehabilitation Medicine or Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is a new specialty whose MD course started in India only in 1979.

This specialty deals with disorders and ailments of the physical body which in the same way impair a person and pulls him away from society.

Some examples are strokes, amputations, cerebral palsy, spil cord and nerve injuries, pain in the back, neck or joints and many others which disables a person from living a full life.

The team of rehabilitation medicine consists of the MD physician, physio, occupatiol and speech therapists, prosthetist and orthotist, psychologist and social worker.

They work as a team to help in early recovery of the patient in the hospital and also follow up as an outpatient and in the community.

At present, the team at zareth Hospital is small but they are hopeful to expand to the full team in a short time.

The specialist in Rehabilitation Medicine will be available in the outpatient department from 8 am to 4 pm from Monday to Friday, and 9 am to 12 noon on Saturdays.