KUWAIT CITY, Nov 5: The Director of Jahra Health Zone Dr. Jamal Al-Duaij revealed the preparation of workshops in the future to support and develop communication skills between the Occupational Therapy Department and the rest of the departments at Jahra Hospital. He stressed the importance of this field in improving the quality of life of patients and in qualifying them to practice daily life normally.

Dr. Al-Duaij affirmed that the Ministry of Health spares no effort to improve occupational therapy and physical therapy services in the country. In a press statement issued on the sidelines of his sponsorship of the celebration held by Jahra Hospital’s Occupational Therapy Department to mark World Occupational Therapy Day yesterday under the title “Occupational Therapy to Improve the Quality of Life”, Dr. Al-Duaij revealed that the Occupational Therapy Department is affiliated with the Physical Therapy Department. He said, “It is an essential supportive and complementary unit for treating many medical conditions, especially those related to bone diseases, fractures, neurological diseases, aging diseases, and others.”

Dr. Al-Duaij explained that occupational therapy is one of the supportive medical specialties that contribute to the rehabilitation of the patient, as the role of an occupational therapist begins with assessing the condition and the extent of the barriers that hinder the individual from completing the activity.

Accordingly, an appropriate treatment plan is developed that may include modifying some of the individual’s activities to suit his abilities or new activities suitable for the individual. An occupational therapist may also suggest some assistive tools that make it easier for the individual to perform his life activities in the simplest possible way. He also evaluates the condition and provides treatment to enhance, restore, or maintain the activities that are most important to the individual.

He works with patients of all ages and with a variety of medical conditions, including nervous system injuries such as stroke and spinal injuries, disorders that affect children, such as cerebral palsy and developmental delays, mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, hand injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve injuries, and cases of swallowing difficulties and burns as well. Dr. Al-Duaij praised the efforts exerted by those in charge of the Physical Therapy Department, particularly the Occupational Therapy Department, stressing that the department has many young Kuwaiti talents who are making persistent efforts to improve the health services provided in the department.

By Marwa Al-Bahrawi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff