Liana Nagy talks about her involvement with a project to upcycle and redistribute disability equipment from the UK to lowand medium-income countries .
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containers have been sent to countries such as Bulgaria , Moldova , Romania , Syria , Mexico , Ghana , Kenya , South Africa , Malawi , Uganda , Fiji , Bhutan Samoa , India , and Sri Lanka .
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n the UK , access to disability equipment – such as wheelchairs , walkers , standers , crutches , bathing and toileting equipment , and postural care equipment – for adults or children with activity participation limitations is primarily available through the NHS .
The availability of such equipment contributes to the health and wellbeing of many individuals who otherwise would not be able to mobilise independently or participate in the activities they want or need to .
However , the lack of a clear pathway for returning the equipment once it is no longer needed contributes to a surplus of disability equipment in storage , which might eventually end up being scrapped . This is because cross contamination and hygiene restrictions , collection costs , storage , and re-issuing of equipment , are all potential barriers to recycling in the UK .
At the same time , patients in low- and medium-income countries face significant challenges to accessing disability equipment , due to a lack of funds or unavailability of such items in the country .
To address the twin problems of equipment surplus in the UK and lack of equipment in low- and medium-income countries , PhysioNet , a charity that was set up in 2008 in North Yorkshire , has been collecting , restoring and sending equipment to 28 such countries . The charity ’ s work was
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36 OTnews January 2022