ACTIVITY REPORT of Nepal Laryngectomees Association May 1999 to April 2001
By
Prof. Rakesh Prasad Shrivastav
*Prof. Rakesh Prasad Shrivastav is:
Advisor to Nepal Laryngectomees Association and is an E.N.T. and Head and Neck Surgeon at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal
*Report Presented at:
17th Standing Committee Meeting and 16th Extraordinary General Meeting of AFLA, 12th May, 2001 Beijing, China
Activity Report of Nepal Laryngectomees Association May 1999 to April 2001
INTRODUCTION:
The Nepal Laryngectomees Association started as a Club in 1990 with only 5 laryngectomees as members.
Today the Association has 52 laryngectomees as members and 13 non-laryngectomees as associate members. The associate members have no voting rights. Mr. Sekhar Lal Shrestha in the President of the Association and Dr. L.N.Prasad, the senior most ENT surgeon in Nepal in the Patron of this Association.
ACTIVITIES OF NEPAL LARYNGECTOMEES ASSOCIATION(NLA)
1.Basic Training in Oesophageal Speech:
This a regular programme of NLA which was started in 1996 basic training in oesophageal speech is for two months. NLA provides free training to all new laryngectomees to develop oesophageal speech. NLA pays the traveling cost of the laryngectomee and one of his family member to come to Kathmandu for the training. NLA also provides money to each Laryngectomee for his accommodation in a reasonably priced hotel and also for his meals and to cover other incidental expenses. In order words, the laryngectomees need not spend a single Rupee to get this training.
The training is held in a group of 3 to 5 laryngectomees at a time. In the last two years a total of 30 laryngectomees underwent basic training in oesophagcal speech. This programme is supported by the Danish Federation of Laryngectomees Association.
2.Training by Expatriate Laryngectomees:
i. Mr. S.Hisanaga, President of AFLA and Mr. S.Sakagami, Treasurer of AFLA visited NLA on 20th January 2000.A training programme was specially organised during their visit and a total of 5 laryngectomees were trained by Mr. Hisanaga and Mr. Sakagami together with Mr. Sekhar Lal Shrestha, President and Mr. Rajendra Pradham, Treasurer of NLA.
ii. Mr. Bent Lassen, President of Danish Federation of Laryngectomees Association and Mrs. Hanne Tranberg, a Speech Pathologist from Denmark visited NLA from 3rd to 10th November 2000. They trained 4 laryngectomees to develop oesophageal speech.
3.Home Visits:
Lalyngectomee members of NLA make periodic visit to Laryngectomees' home to evaluate the effectiveness of the oesophageal speech training programme.
The home visit provides the much needed emotional support to the new laryngectomees and is also a good time to evaluate how much oesophageal voice is being used and whether the laryngectomees have been able to improve their speech over this time period. The laryngectomees are further encouraged to use his or her voice as much as possible and any difficulties that they are having are discussed and if possible these difficulties are overcome accordingly with the help of the visiting laryngectomees. NLA members visited the homes of 15 new laryngectomees in the last 2 years. This programme is also supported by Danish Federation of Laryngectomees Association.
4.Visitors
i. A seven member team from Denmark representing various Disabled Groups, which included Mr. Bent Lassen, President of the Danish Federation of Laryngectomees, visited Nepal to evaluate the disability situation in Nepal and to make recommendations as how Denmark can help Nepal in the field of disability. This team visited NLA on 26th April 2001 to evaluate the oesophageal speech training programme, the home visit programme and other activities of NLA.
ii. Dr. Hiroshi Ogasawara, ENT surgeon from Hyogo College of Medicine, Nisinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan along with 2 laryngectomees from Kobe visited NLA on 11th April 2001. They presented a few Tapia Speech Pipes to NLA.
