Siriraj produces cost-effective wheelchair
Siriraj Hospital unveiled its own ‘stand-up’ wheelchair on Monday, which costs about a tenth of the price of imported models. The wheelchair will be of benefit to people paralyzed from the waist down.
Dr Chonlavej Chaowasri, head of the hospital’s spinal center, said not many people paralyzed from the waist down had much chance of improving their condition measurably. The hospital launched a project to produce its own wheelchairs in 1991, and has since then been working on improving the design so that it has become safer and offers users greater convenience, he said.
He said the wheelchair could be adjusted by hand to switch from a sitting position to a standing position, or vice versa. In order to carry out this task, however, users would need to have reasonably strong arms. The hospital will continue to develop the wheelchair so that it is easier for people without strong arms to use in the future.
One imported stand-up wheelchair costs about 200,000-300,000 baht (US$6,020-9,030), while Siriraj Hospital’s new wheelchair costs between 20,000-30,000 baht, according to Dr Sinuan Chaowasiri. The hospital would be ready to produce its first batch of about 100 wheelchairs within the next three to six months, she said. – Manager Online.
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