Is NDIS the gold standard for disability care in the world?

23/08/2021 0 Comments read Disability, Health & Science, NDIS

Jonathan Marchand, who has muscular dystrophy and requires a ventilator to breathe, had been living in a long-term care home for nearly 10 years. Last August, he had "caged" himself in front of the national assembly in Quebec (Canada) to highlight the institutionalisation of people with disabilities. Photo Credit: Supplied by Jonathan Marchand

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 23.08.2021 (Hireup): Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is said to be a ‘game changer’ for people with disabilities and their families, but how does it hold up on the global stage? I spoke to three leading disability organisations in Canada, the United Kingdom and Singapore to find out what supports are available in their countries. Are they advocating for a universal, person-centred scheme which offers people with disabilities more ‘choice and control’ over the care and services they receive?

Every Canadian Counts Coalition (ECCC) board member Jonathan Marchand says: “[The] NDIS is an example to follow. In Canada, there is no centralised funding for services and support for people with disabilities. It is left to the provinces and there’s a patchwork of support that, for the most part, hasn’t been updated for decades now. In some places, you will even struggle to get funding for a wheelchair”.

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Child labour rampant in Bangladesh’s leather industry, study

23/07/2021 0 Comments read Business and Trade, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 22.07.2021 (SciDev.Net): Children as young as seven years are working with hazardous chemicals, heavy machinery or carrying heavy loads, endangering their health and lives in Bangladesh’s lucrative leather industry, according to a study.

Globally, about 160 million children were subjected to child labour at the beginning of 2020, with nine million additional children at risk due to the impact of COVID-19, according to UNICEF. Almost half of them were in hazardous work that directly imperils their health and moral development, the UN children’s agency said.

The study, published this month and led by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), a UK-based international development policy think tank, comes as the world marks 2021 as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.

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Oncology massage goes mainstream

22/07/2021 0 Comments read Cancer, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 22.07.2021 (The Medical Republic): Major cancer hospitals across the country are offering oncology massage as one of the tools in their integrative oncology and support centres to help some people cope better with treatment.

When Marcia Sherring underwent a bilateral mastectomy and related surgeries followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, her surgeon referred her to the integrative oncology service at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, a comprehensive cancer hospital in Sydney. She was recommended oncology massage for her lymphedema.

At first, she was hesitant. “I looked like an extra from a war movie with lots of scars and stitches on my body. But to my surprise, the oncology massage therapist wasn’t shocked. She seemed to have complete knowledge and understanding of my medical history and she modified her technique to account for the adhesions and scarring on my chest. It made me feel safe and confident in her hands”, says Sherring.

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