Patients' pain disappears in renovated hydrotherapy pool<\/p>\n
By Deborah Cameron<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The hydrotherapy pool at Fatmawati Hospital in
\nSouth Jakarta is a gleaming example of modern medical treatment
\nmethods. Patients who immerse themselves in its specially heated
\nwater say that they get immediate relief from pain and much more
\nflexibility in injured and paralyzed limbs.<\/p>\n
\"One of the patients who is recovering from multiple fractures
\nsaid that when he gets into the pool he feels the pain disappear
\ninto the water,\" said the head of the Medical Rehabilitation
\nDepartment, Dr. Gerry Heryati.<\/p>\n
The hydrotherapy pool, built in 1973 with help from Australian
\ndonors, was recently renovated in a project jointly funded by the
\nAustralian Agency for International Development, the Salvation
\nArmy and Bethesda Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n
They gave close to Rp 30 million to have the pool redesigned
\nand rebuilt so that is was safer and better for disabled
\npatients. The hydrotherapy building was renovated and painted and
\nnew tiles were laid on the floor. At the same time the pool water
\nsupply, filtration and chemical systems have been improved.<\/p>\n
The pool, housed in a special wing of the hospital's
\nrehabilitation center, is about five metres long and ranges in
\ndepth from 70 cm to 1.4 meters. It is heated to a temperature of
\n32 degrees Celsius. Patients spend about 30 minutes in the pool
\ndoing a range of movements and exercises supervised by specially
\ntrained staff.<\/p>\n
Two physiotherapists from Bethesda Hospital have spent the
\npast two weeks based at Fatmawati Hospital training
\nphysiotherapists in up-to-date techniques and also familiarizing
\npatients with the pool.<\/p>\n
The Bethesda and Fatmawati Hospitals have a special
\nrelationship due to their shared interest in rehabilitation.
\nBethesda specializes in the area of rehabilitation and its
\nservices are internationally renowned.<\/p>\n
One of the two visiting Australian physiotherapists, Jane
\nGutherie, is the manager of Physiotherapy Services at Bethesda
\nHospital and has specialized in the management, organization and
\nmaintenance of hydrotherapy units for many years.<\/p>\n
She described the pool at Fatmawati Hospital as \"wonderful\".<\/p>\n
\"It is a great asset for physiotherapists and the patients
\nlove it,\" she said<\/p>\n
The second physiotherapist, Elizabeth Cotter, said that
\nhydrotherapy accelerated the recovery of stroke patients and
\nthose with serious bone injuries and chronic pain. Paraplegic and
\nquadriplegic patients also benefit from the treatment.<\/p>\n
The pool will be open every day to both individuals and groups
\nof patients from Fatmawati Hospital, a public hospital which
\ncaters to thousands of outpatients every day and has a 565-bed
\ngeneral hospital.<\/p>\n
There are an estimated 5.7 million disabled and handicapped
\npeople in Indonesia. Many are hurt in traffic accidents while
\nothers suffer from crippling contagious diseases including
\npoliomyelitis and leprosy.<\/p>\n
Cotter said most of the quadriplegic and paraplegic patients
\nat Fatmawati Hospital are young men who have fallen from tall
\nbuildings in construction site accidents.<\/p>\n
Of Indonesia's disabled population, only about 15,000 a year
\nreceive any kind of rehabilitation treatment. Fatmawati Hospital
\nis one of the few places in Indonesia with a functioning
\nhydrotherapy pool.<\/p>\n
Still, Dr. Gerry says, the future is looking brighter for
\ndisabled people as rehabilitation specialists and
\nphysiotherapists receive more training and better methods become
\navailable to them.<\/p>\n
She pointed to the opening of Indonesia's first occupational
\ntherapy school in Solo, Central Java, last September, as an
\nimportant sign of future improvement.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/patients-pain-disappears-in-renovated-hydrotherapy-pool-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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