KSA has one of the highest rates of spinal cord injuries from traffic accidents

JEDDAH: Yasser Al-Mahmoud, a specialist doctor at the rehabilitation hospital at King Fahd Medical City (KFMC), revealed that the disability rate is up to 8 percent of the population according to a recently published study.
He noted that the Kingdom has one of the highest rates of spinal cord injuries in the world with 62 people injured per 1 million, and the injuries are mostly due to traffic accidents.
“The Kingdom ranks first in material and human losses, and disabilities where the financial losses as a result of traffic accidents are estimated at about SR26 billion annually. It causes the deaths of 16 people every day along with 35 injuries mostly with chronic disabilities,” said Al-Mahmoud.
Al-Mahmoud was speaking at the Rehabilitation Hospital at KFMC at an event to mark World Disability Day under the slogan “My disability does not constrain me. I can challenge it.”
The event witnessed the participation of the relevant bodies from inside and outside KFMC. He revealed that the number of patients who have been met by consultants at the rehabilitation hospital during this year reached 1,728.
“The number of new patients amounted to 896, while the total number of patients received by the outpatient clinics for day and night services, and the new patients and follow up stood at 5,092 people,” added Al-Mahmoud.
He explained the number of patients who were given health consultation services amounted to 364 people, and the number of those hospitalized was 378. The total number of patients who were received by the comprehensive rehabilitation division was 30,678, and 50,278 patients availed themselves of services by the physiotherapy department.
Meanwhile, the head of the committee organizing events on the occasion, Manal Al-Gouth, said the event aims to help people with disabilities to integrate into society, and to deliver their message on the importance of involving people with disabilities in various areas of life, asserting to them that they are important members of society in addition to acknowledging that their abilities qualify them to engage and participate in the activities and efforts of the community.