Tele-rehabilitation in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in India: An Essential but Uphill Task

Abstract

The number of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients is gradually increasing in India. But due to the unavailability of rehabilitation facilities at the grass root level and most of the patient's financial status, institution-based SCI rehabilitation is still not feasible for many of SCI patients. Tele-rehabilitation can help to rehabilitate the SCI patients to a satisfactory extent where providing hospital-based rehabilitation is not possible. During the COVID-19 pandemic, tele-rehabilitation showed its true potential already. Poverty, lack of education, and lack of technical knowledge of the patients can be a major barrier to its implication. However, with the government's support, suitable manpower, and will to serve, we can deliver tele-rehabilitation services for SCI patients in the remotest and poorest areas of India.