Making an impact in the lives of people with disabilities

SAARC Development Fund, September 2022 - Disability, resulting from accidents and illnesses, are part of life in countries around the world. In developing countries, these incidents are further complicated by poverty and lack of quality treatment or rehabilitation services.

Therefore, since 2013, SAARC Development Fund has been working with Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) in Bangladesh to provide scholarships to professionals from SAARC member states, who wish to pursue Master’s programme in rehabilitation science. In addition to the annual scholarships, an international hostel accommodating 60 students, library and computer lab for advanced research, and a 400 kVA power substation at CRP were also built.

This was the first-ever Masters Programme in Rehabilitation Science (MRS) being offered at CRP’s Bangladesh Health Professional Institute (BHPI) under the University of Dhaka. With USD 1.5 million SDF grant for the first phase of the project and USD 0.74 million for the second, over 120 students from the SAARC Member States have availed the scholarship and many are applying this academic year.

Many of these graduates today are serving in various capacities as either senior occupational therapists or consultants, who are constantly developing treatment and rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. 

One such individual is Mustafa Kamal Rahat Khan. Rahat Khan, 39, is a senior occupational therapist at the CRP in Dhaka. He is currently heading the pediatric department and meets at least 30 children with disabilities a day from all across Bangladesh. Rahat is from the first cohort of the SDF-funded scholarship students in 2014 to pursue Regional Inter-professional Masters in Rehabilitation Science, and is now providing meaningful services for children with disabilities.

Leading a team of 13 therapists, he is in-charge of running a two-week residential programme designed to integrate children with cerebral palsy and other diseases into family and community life.

“This programme has helped me as a clinician and occupational therapist to explore innovative treatment methods and interventions for children,” Rahat said. “Through quality research and assessment tools, I was also able to evaluate the interventions and services I was providing to children with different conditions.”

One of the achievements of his master’s programme, Rahat added, was the development of a well-structured autism group therapy protocol for children with autism and their family members, which has shown to improve the child’s social and interactive skills.

According to partners at CRP, the project has built a cadre of leaders capable of advancing education, research and practice in the field of disability and rehabilitation in the SAARC Member States.

Thirty-one-year-old Fatema Iris completed her Master’s Programme in Rehabilitation Science (MRS) in 2018. A student of the fourth MRS batch, Fatema is working as a clinical occupational therapist in the area of spinal cord injury rehabilitation.

As part of her studies, Fatema introduced a treatment protocol – a peer group exercise programme for stroke patients – which she later implemented in her department with 140 patients. This programme is now being implemented in other CRP branches as well. 

Fatema hopes to be a rehabilitation scientist one day through extensive disability-related research.  “The Masters Programme, first of its kind, was such an enriching experience.  On top of that, getting to interact and exchange ideas with friends from other countries in the SAARC region was special,” she said.

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