Nepalese Spinal Beetle drive starts on final leg to Peshawar

Nepal-India-Pakistan Spinal Beetle Drive team reaches Lahore.

LAHORE: Zainab Bibi, a woman, who was disabled after being shot during the terrorist attack on Jinnah Hospital on May 31, 2010 is among the two people who have been invited to Kathmandu for treatment.

The other patient’s name is Shahnawaz.

Kanak Dixit, founder of the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre, Nepal, extended the invitation on Saturday after he, along with his team, arrived in Lahore. Kanak along with Shanta Dixit, Suman Khadka, Naresh Nakarmi and Eelum Dixit is driving from Kathmandu to Peshawar to raise funds for his spine rehabilitation centre, in what the team calls ‘The Great Nepal-India-Pakistan Spinal Beetle Drive’.

Shanta, board-member of the centre is Kanak’s wife while Eelum is his son.

Dr Khalid Jameel Akhtar, head of the rehabilitation department at Mayo Hospital told Kanak Dixit that Zainab Bibi had been hit in the neck during the attack and had lost movement in her hands and legs. Muhammad Ashiq, Zainab’s husband, told The Express Tribune that he had not been able to get the treatment Zainab required because he was poor. “We wrote to the chief minister to help us but received no reply,” Ashiq said.

Kanak, who started the centre after surviving a trekking accident that had resulted in a spinal injury, told The Express Tribune, that the centre is situated in Saanga in Banepa Valley, east of Kathmandu, and is run on contributions.

He said that one of the aims of the drive was to share his experience with others and to encourage the sharing of information, knowledge and techniques regarding spinal injury treatment with others so the best ideas could be applied in all countries.

He said that they wanted to develop a strong relationship with other countries and were determined to bring happiness in the lives of those who had spinal injuries.

The delegation was later taken to Mayo Hospital workshop where artificial limbs are manufactured.

The team started its journey on November 4 and arrived in Lahore after passing through Lucknow, Delhi, Agra, New Delhi and Amritsar. The fundraising effort is scheduled to end in Peshawar on November 16.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2011.