Letter to the Editor
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Virol. Nov 25, 2022; 11(6): 502-504
Published online Nov 25, 2022. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v11.i6.502
Effect of the pandemic on rehabilitation healthcare services in India: Breaking barriers
Raktim Swarnakar, Shiv Lal Yadav
Raktim Swarnakar, Shiv Lal Yadav, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, Delhi, India
Author contributions: Swarnakar R designed and analyzed the manuscript; Swarnakar R and Yadav SL performed the research and wrote the letter.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Raktim Swarnakar, MBBS, MD, Doctor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, Delhi, India. raktimswarnakar@hotmail.com
Received: August 9, 2022
Peer-review started: August 9, 2022
First decision: August 22, 2022
Revised: August 24, 2022
Accepted: October 12, 2022
Article in press: October 12, 2022
Published online: November 25, 2022
Processing time: 106 Days and 5.5 Hours
Abstract

We would like to highlight the rehabilitation medicine perspective from India. Difficulties are impacted by the pandemic during this time, especially for people with disabilities. Awareness building among the public regarding the need for rehabilitation along with improvement in infrastructure is the key unmet need.

Keywords: COVID-19; India; Physical medicine and rehabilitation; Rehabilitation; Healthcare service; Disability

Core Tip: Rehabilitation is a vital component of Universal Health Coverage. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impacted negatively on health care delivery and rehabilitation services have been hindered severely as well. Proper awareness and health care infrastructure building are essential aspects that need to be addressed soon.