Rehabilitation in South India

The article describes the rehabilitation services provided at Christian Medical College Vellore, a tertiary care medical college hospital in South India. The department was started by Dr Mary Verghese, who on completion of her medical training sustained spinal cord injury with resulting paraplegia. Following a section on the initial beginnings of the department, the current status of the department offering comprehensive rehabilitation by the multidisciplinary team is highlighted. The article ends with the challenges faced, including limitations in providing affordable solutions, architectural and attitudinal barriers, and inadequate number of rehabilitation physicians and comprehensive rehabilitation centers in the country.