International Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Awareness Day

Since 2016, The  International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS), has been observing Spinal Cord Injury Day September 5th yearly. It is celebrated each year with different slogans and themes that highlight the most current issues of concern for spinal cord injured individuals.

Conditions such as war, natural disasters, effects of climate change, poverty, hunger, drought and pandemic adversely affect all life on earth. Spinal cord injured individuals and other individuals with chronic health problems could be more affected by these conflicts than the healthy population.

This year, the ISCoS, in a bid to draw attention to the difficulties and problems faced by individuals with spinal cord injuries living in disadvantaged areas and conflict zones, defined the theme of 2022 SCI Day as, Raising awareness about the difficulties faced by SCI individuals in conflict zones and the slogan of 2022 SCI Day as, SCI in Conflicts and Disasters: Prepare and Prevent.

“The situation of persons with SCI in unstable and complex conflict zones like the North East and the North West presents a great issue of concern to the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria (SCIAN). We would therefore like to stress and convey that whichever region persons with spinal cord injuries are in and living in, their needs, hopes and dreams, along with their families, are very close to the ones we all share as human beings and as citizens of Nigeria. 

“As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Nigeria is under the obligation to ensure that all persons with disabilities (PWDs) are given priority attention in situations of conflict.

“States Parties shall take in accordance with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.”

Experience has shown that persons with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, are often left behind or abandoned during evacuation in disasters and conflicts due to discrimination, lack of preparation and planning, as well as inaccessible facilities and services and transportation systems.

To ensure that PWDs are properly cared for when disasters occur, organisations of persons with disabilities, political authorities, public administrators and civil society organisations should be involve in planning strategies for tackling  disasters and conflicts.

Emergency plans should consider the fact that most spinal cord injured persons use wheelchairs and as such, their locations and emergency needs should be known and assessed before disaster strikes.

In addition, emergency responders, like the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the police and civil defence, as well as state emergency response agencies, who are required to lift and transport people with spinal cord injuries, should receive appropriate training and have appropriate equipment for these tasks.

Evacuation, emergency transportation, sheltering and temporary rehabilitation facilities should be easily accessible by wheelchair to avoid unnecessary delays and additional injuries.

Rehabilitation is central to the eventual level of functionality of the spinal cord injured, irrespective of whether the injury was sustained prior to or due to conflicts and disasters. Unfortunately, there is no dedicated rehabilitation facility to provide this much needed support in Nigeria yet. We therefore call on well meaning Nigerian individuals and corporate organisations to support the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, to complete the construction of its rehabilitation centre in Lagos.

To raise awareness of these issues, State Chapters of SCIAN will be involved in different activities throughout the month of September. In Lagos, Kano, Ogun, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kogi, Edo, Enugu and Gombe, there would be engagements with the FRSC, the police and state emergency management agencies, road transport unions and the Nigeria Medical Association. Also scheduled for implementation are visits to spinal cord injured persons in several teaching hospitals, media outings and courtesy visits to traditional rulers and community leaders.