Polio Free World:  But

When our Polio Society was founded almost 30 years ago, it was in response to the total lack of understanding in our health professionals about the needs of people who have had polio and the reality of the late effects of polio.

In addition to the lack of understanding of their doctors and physiotherapists, the lack of appropriate orthotics and the lack of understanding by orthotists of the specific needs of polio-affected limbs was the most common complaint from our members and over the decades Polio NZ tried in vain to get the attention of the Ministry of Health to address these conditions.

In 2016 Polio NZ undertook a survey of all its members on their satisfaction with the orthotic services.  Of the 125 people who answered the survey, satisfaction was less than 50%, with many having very poor experiences and not using their orthoses as a result. 

Over the last couple of years there have been significant advances and we now have a few clinics where physiotherapists have been trained in assessing and responding to polio-affected limbs, and progress has been made with the education of other health professionals. Importantly, about 20 New Zealand orthotists have been brought up to date in their understanding of the types of orthotics that are most helpful to people who have had polio and some progress has been made to possibly having these manufactured in New Zealand and this will be life-changing for many people who have been struggling with inadequate bracing and footwear. We are aware of many people who have significantly declined in their mobility due to the lack of appropriate orthotics.

While all of this is fantastic progress, none of it has come about because of the Ministry of Health. It has all been driven by the hard work of Polio NZ and The Duncan Foundation. However, because of the progress that has been made, the Ministry of Health has finally taken notice and a dialogue has begun. Of course, we must make our case about the benefits to the government and to society of these improved services and equipment, so we cannot rely on the government to address these needs in the short term.

Meanwhile, we are aware of at least 20 people who lives would be radically improved if they had the right orthotics, and we have managed to get a few people into the new orthotics that are made in the United States. However, because of the cost, we are limited to just a handful of people being able to get these because they have been able to contribute significantly towards the cost themselves. But for the others who do not have personal money, they are going to be left to decline unnecessarily and have their working life shortened as a result.

We feel that if we could get a cohort of people whose lives would be measurably improved by having these carbon-fibre tri-planer orthotics, we will be able to demonstrate to the government the social and economic benefits of establishing these as the benchmark for orthotics in New Zealand, including having them manufactured here. We believe there are significant savings to be made in the prevention of injury through falls returning balance and security, avoiding surgery to replace joints that would be stablished with appropriate orthotics, correction of deformities, prevention of overuse syndromes, and regaining functions that are being lost.

We believe that the cheapest health care is achieved by providing the right support in the first place. Optimal and timely prescription and fitting of orthoses can be a major factor in the management of an individual's condition and prevention of future problems.

To this end, we want to establish a Polio NZ Orthotics Fund and we are going to engage in a fundraising campaign to do this. The Duncan Foundation have provided for the assessment stage to determine whether an individual will measurably benefit from tri-planer orthotics. The final cost of the orthoses will vary greatly from individual to individual depending on their needs, but we would like to ensure that the cost (without help from the government) is not the reason people do not get what they need.

We continue to work on other areas of the needs of people who have had polio including the inadequate funding for home modifications and other equipment such as ramps and wheelchairs, and the social and psychological welfare of people who have had polio as they age. This is ongoing work that faces many challenges.

However, orthotics is an area that we can now make significant headway with at least for some people and we believe that helping these people will pave the way to our final goal of having an appropriate address by the Ministry of Health to the needs of all people living here who have had polio.

Please pass the attached information on to friends or colleagues who may be interested in helping us with this campaign to bring New Zealand up to date in orthotics services. Our success will not only change the lives of people who have had polio, but it will make this technology available to everyone, including children, regardless of the cause of their disability.