Edd Shaw, physiotherapist, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea’s mountainous terrain is so impenetrable that the entire population of the entire district of Porgera – over one million people – did not make contact with the developed world until 1938. Imagine, then, the obstacles faced by disabled people who live there. VSO physiotherapist Edd Shaw talks about his role in improving their mobility, including distributing over 300 wheelchairs.
What did your role involve?
I was the Wheelchair Services Supervisor with the government’s National Orthotic and Prosthetic Department. That meant helping set up five centres in various areas of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and making sure they’d stay running after I returned to the UK. I identified and assessed clients and made prescriptions, providing suitable client-specific wheelchairs and ongoing service to enable clients to maintain their mobility. It was also my job to increase awareness of the service.
That sounds like quite a responsibility. What were you doing beforehand?
I was working as a physiotherapist at a Senior 2 level at University Hospital of Hartlepool, treating musculoskeletal conditions like bad backs and bad necks. Before I went to PNG, I received training in the new skills I’d need for the job. I learnt how to assess and train clinicians and wheelchair technicians to provide a safe service.
Previous volunteers based in PNG have mentioned the tendency for people with disabilities to be “wrapped in cotton wool”. What difficulties did you encounter?
Awareness is a problem. People simply don’t know about the services that exist for those with disabilities, including the provision of wheelchairs. In part, that’s down to the difficulty of getting around in PNG. An estimated 80 per cent of people with disabilities live in the remote villages. We tried radio messages, word of mouth, linking with the physiotherapy and orthotic outreach teams and organised excursions to various more remote towns to provide services and awareness.
What about on a personal level?
It took me a while to adjust to the laid-back approach to getting things done. In the UK, everything is pushed into tight time frames. In Papua New Guinea tasks are simply done when people are ready. It was also tough to get to grips with the corruption. You see it at all levels, from government through to grass roots. Sometimes I had to refuse to provide a service to people who would constantly abuse it - one client kept selling his wheelchairs and claiming they had been stolen!
What impact did you have?
Of the five satellite centres we set out to create, four were up and running by the end of the year. Although we only scratched the surface in raising awareness and improving accessibility, our clinical assessments led to over 300 wheelchairs being provided. PNG’s rough terrain isn’t easy going for wheelchairs. In the past many of the chairs donated were poorly suited. We helped introduce special rough terrain three-wheeled chair, which proved a great asset within villages and cities alike.
Are there any particular success stories that stick in your mind?
One young boy was confined to his home after losing the use of his legs. He remained on the floor of his home, cared for by his mother. We managed to get to his village, which was in a remote area, then assess, build and provided the prescribed three-wheeled wheelchair and teach him how to use it safely. He became independently mobile in and outside his home, having spent over a year confined to their hut.
Do you feel you’ve grown as a result of your experiences?
I definitely feel my organisational skills improved, as have my listening, communication and motivation skills. I also have a lot more confidence in my own professional and personal skills thanks to the challenges I faced and the things I achieved.
How far would you recommend volunteering to other people?
I loved it, and I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who has thought about volunteering but doubted their capacity. There were many times before I left the UK when I sharply questioned my ability to take on the responsibilities of a national supervisor. On reflection I can see just how developed my skills already were.
